ANTIPOLO City, Rizal – For the second time in a row, the city government turned over to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) a snake – this time an almost 10-feet reticulated python that was caught in this component city by a resident.
According to Mayor Jun Ynares III, a certain Jose Saulda from Barangay San Isidro surrendered the reticulated python to the Antipolo City Animal Control Team, which in turn called on the province-based DENR office for transfer of custody.
In a related development, Ynares urged residents not to try to catch, hurt, or kill snakes (should they see one) and instead contact the City Veterinary Office (8689-4514) or inform their respective barangays.
Web-based sources showed that reticulated pythons are native to the rainforests of Southeast Asia including the Philippines and live in rainforests, woodlands, grasslands, rivers, and nearby streams, and lakes.
The snake's conservation status is currently listed as least concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) because of its wide distribution.
These snakes, according to the Wildlife Learning Center, are heavily dependent on water and can often be found near small rivers or ponds and require tropical environments, adding that snakes of this type can weigh up to 350 pounds.
The largest reticulated python in the Guinness Book of World Records was caught in 1991. It measured 32 feet, 9.5 inches.
Over a month ago, the city government also recovered a 9-foot-long python spotted inside a house in the city.
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #WildLife