A resident of a Missouri neighborhood where a nearly 15-foot-long Burmese python was roaming for days has killed the snake.

KTVI-TV reports that a man shot the 160-pound snake about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday in a rural area of Warren County, about 50 miles west of St. Louis. Neighbors believe the snake was responsible for the deaths of some small animals.

Residents said they felt they had no choice but to kill the snake.

Early Tuesday, Pauline Horstdaniel was awakened by her barking dog and saw the python. She called her father-in-law, who used a shotgun to kill it.

Burmese pythons aren’t native to Missouri but can be purchased as exotic pets. A Missouri Department of Conservation official says owners have been known to dump them outdoors when they get too big.