When the staff at Prairie Park Nature Center saw the empty cage Monday morning, the first thought was that the 6-foot long, 40-pound boa constrictor had escaped.

But the likelihood of the snake finding a way to remove a large rock on top of its cage, while maneuvering the sliding top and making its escape seemed impossible.

“The snake has been in that cage for many years and never accomplished that,” said Marty Birrell, nature education supervisor.

Birrell concluded the Colombian red-tailed boa constrictor was stolen, and it’s not the first time thieves have taken a snake.

“Snakes seem to be an appealing target,” she said, noting that an eastern hognose snake and a milk snake have been stolen in years past. Rattlesnake rattles and fangs are also popular targets.

Birrell thinks the snake was taken as the nature center was closing Sunday afternoon by someone “who thought they wanted a pet snake, and decided this one was relatively easy to get their hands on.”

The boa constrictor, a popular reptile used in educational demonstrations, had been at the nature center for about five years. Birrell said she’s upset that someone would steal an animal from a public institution, and doesn’t expect it to be recovered.

While the snake poses no danger to the public, if it’s left to the elements, it will likely die, said naturalist Tasha Schultz.

“The odds are pretty good it’ll survive if whoever took it can care for it,” she said. “It needs to stay warm. If it gets too cold, if the temperature fluctuates, it could die.”

She said to call the nature center or animal control if the snake is spotted.

“We’d be happy to have it back. It’s probably better for the snake if we do have it back,” she said.