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Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium, guests mourn loss of popular giant snake

<i>KMBC via CNN Newsource</i><br/>The Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium said goodbye to a long-time inhabitant and
Arif, Merieme
KMBC via CNN Newsource
The Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium said goodbye to a long-time inhabitant and "gentle giant" of a snake.

By Chloe Godding

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — The Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium said goodbye to a long-time inhabitant and “gentle giant” of a snake.

The zoo announced the death of its 26-year-old leucistic Burmese python on Friday. She died of metastatic ovarian cancer and heart disease.

Louise came to the zoo in 2004, spending most of her life there. She was 125 pounds and 15 feet long, but her daunting size didn’t keep her from becoming a guest favorite.

The zoo said Louise was often found relaxing in her pool, and she enjoyed enrichment like playing with boxes and bags.

“She will be dearly missed by our guests and our Zoo family,” the zoo said in a statement.

Burmese pythons are native to the rainforests, grasslands and swamps of Southeast Asia. Before she arrived at the zoo, she was abandoned by her owner and rescued by law enforcement.

Her distinctive, bright yellow color is due to genetic mutations common among Burmese python breeders.

“Louise was a fantastic ambassador for her species and also a super-sized reminder why some animals should not be pets,” the zoo said.

In Louise’s honor, the zoo encourages everyone to visit notapet.net and take a pledge to help animals like her.

Louise was featured on KMBC 9 in a retired segment called “Zoo View.”

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