Just past the midnight hour, (early today, May 10) the “361 Rescue” team was alerted by villagers that a huge snake was coiled up in the middle of the street at the front of the entrance to Soi Jun Ussa Vasook lane, just opposite the famous school in Phuket City Municipality's Talad Yai sub district.
Startled by the sight of the snake when at the front of the soi, residents said that they did not dare pass because the coiled up snake “looked like it would attack anyone who came near”.
Concerned about the greater threat for the community, home to many children and elderly persons, residents called for help, which arrived to the scene shortly thereafter.
After tedious efforts, the rescue team finally were able to catch and bag the snake before taking it to an undisclosed rural location for release.
The reticulated python was estimated to weigh as much as 60 kilogrammes.
“We get calls like this all the time, everyday, midday and midnight – for all kinds of snakes. Namely, Ngoo Leuam, Ngoo Laem [two types of pythons here, see below] and cobras, the former two of which are most common,” a rescue volunteer told The Phuket News.
“Ngoo Laam (Python bivittatus, the socalled Burmese Python) are more dangerous than Ngoo Leuam (Python reticulatus), especially for kids, so be very careful and notify us immediately if you come across one. Don't approach it yourself,” he said.
See a snake in Phuket? Read this to find out what to do, who to call.