Police are now searching for the suspect and the missing reptile - which is thought to be over 2ft long and worth £140This is the moment a man appears to stuff a python down his trousers as he attempts to 'steal the snake from a pet store'.
The suspected thief is caught on the shop's surveillance camera as he takes the snake out of the tank and appears to stuff it into his clothes.
It is thought the incident occurred at the A to Z Pets store in Portland, Oregon, in the US.
The snake is thought to be worth around $200 (£140), according to WABC-TV.Police are now searching for the man in the CCTV footage and the 2ft long black pastel ball python after it went missing on January 11.The bizarre clip was uploaded to LiveLeak.com and YouTube yesterday and has already clocked up several thousand views.
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Last year, a similar incident occurred at a pet shop in Kansas when a man snatched a snake from a display case and stuffed it in his pocket, before walking out of the shop.