The rural town of Warren County, Missouri, can breathe a little easier after a giant python was shot and killed Tuesday morning.

The snake, which weighed 160 pounds and measured around 15 feet long, had been killing small animals as it roamed throughout the town for several days.

Warren County resident Pauline Horstdaniel spotted the python around 2:30 am, after her dog barking at the animal woke her up. She then called her father-in-law, who killed the snake with a shotgun.

While Burmese pythons are not native to the state of Missouri, they can be purchased as pets. When they grow too large, people tend to release them into the wild.