There is no truth to the report that a missing python was found in a chicken tree.

But, experts say, it wouldn’t be surprising to find the serpent scouting a chicken coop.

All that, of course, is provided there really is a 15-foot snake slinking about the city, a possibility that has many residents on edge.

Police Chief Ronald Dies said his department understands the concerns and on Wednesday will conduct a saturation patrol in search of the phantom python.

The general uneasiness regarding the alleged snake began on March 31, when a woman reported the snake had been in a shed behind her Juanita Street house but hadn’t been seen for some time.

The snake was not hers, it had only been spotted behind her house, going in and out of the shed.

Police do not know why there was a delay of “some time” in calling about such a serpent taking up occupancy in the shed.

A neighbor reportedly saw the snake in the alley between Juanita and Corrine streets last weekand went to get help (Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson). On his return, the snake was no where to be seen.

Responding officers told concerned parties, they said, that it appeared the snake had made the shed its abode but had slithered out, by all indications north-bound in the alley toward Maple Avenue.

Whether the reptile was indeed a python (some snakes common to this area grow quite long) could not be determined.

As of Wednesday, the snake had not been accounted for and the cold snap of this week causes some to wonder if it survived.

If so, experts say, it will be seeking a warm spot, with easy access, protected against draft.

They also note that while reticulated pythons can swim and climb trees, that is not their preferred behavior - they spend most of their time on the ground.

This missing snake story is the second in recent years in the city.

In January 2009 a resident on Park Avenue, which is several blocks from the current scene in question, alerted police that her pet python was missing.

Four days later, she advised her serpent had been secured.