A local man, Petrung Noithai, a district councillor, discovered the snake in Chiang Mai. It was in his garden and he called rescue officials around 5.30am. He said he was woken up by the sound of his panic-stricken fighting cocks after the snake got into their coop behind his house. He used a long wooden pole to chase the python away from the coop, and then called local officials.
The reptile put up a struggle and tried to bite the men and crawl away, but was captured after 20 minutes. It was taken away in a sack, and officials planned to set it free in a forest. Petrung said he kept fighting cocks to get some extra income, and each one was valued at more than 10,000 baht. Since the middle of August he had lost four – presumably to the snake or other wild animals – together valued at around 100,000 baht.
Big snakes are common in Thailand and throughout SE Asia. A bigger snake than this one has been eating people’s pet dogs at a popular public park in Hong Kong lately, much to the horror of their doting owners. But they do not represent a significant threat to adults, so just enjoy their majestic presence!