The large brocade python was found by Netnarin Siriyanon, 40, while he was mowing grass along the bank of a pond in a village in Chachoengsao province (Thailand). Netnarin said he mistook the python for a log and almost cut it with his sickle, but was startled when he saw the animal move.
Netnarin noticed that the python’s abdomen was unusually large, meaning that the animal had just had a full meal, so it moved slowly. The large size of the animal scared Netnarin, so he left it lying on the pond and quickly returned home.
However, when he returned the next evening, Netnarin saw the python still lying in the same position, which made him feel worried, so he called wildlife experts for help.
“I almost cut the animal because I thought it was a rotten log. I was quite scared so I left it and hoped it would go away, but the next day the animal was still in the grass,” Netnarin said. “I thought it had just had a full meal and couldn’t move, so I asked wildlife experts for help.”
When wildlife experts arrived, they found the large python sleeping in the grass by the pond. The bloated belly made the python move slowly, so it didn’t take too long for animal experts to control and capture the animal.
The python was identified as an individual brocade python, 5.2m long. Local people said that the python had slithered into the village to eat a domestic dog before, so the people chased it away. Looks like it hid in the grass near the village to digest the dog.
After being captured, animal experts released the python in a wild place away from residential areas.
The python is the longest reptile in the world today, with an average length of more than 6m, with individuals reaching a length of up to 9 or 10m. Like other pythons, the brocade python is non-venomous and hunts by wrapping its body around its prey and squeezing it to death. Although non-venomous, the bite of the python causes a lot of bleeding and can cause serious infection because the python’s mouth contains many dangerous bacteria.