Da Nang forest protection officers capture 30kg python in residential area
Monday, October 10, 2022, 19:00 GMT+7
Forest protection officers in Da Nang City, central Vietnam captured a 30-kilogram reticulated python that was found killing a monkey in a residential area in Son Tra Peninsula on Sunday.
The python was discovered by a group of friends who were searching for a severely injured monkey in order to treat the primate in Son Tra Peninsula on Sunday afternoon.
The wild animal, weighing around 30 kilograms and measuring four meters in length, was squeezing the monkey on a sidewalk along Le Van Luong Street in Son Tra District.
It was identified as a reticulated python, which is listed in Vietnam's Red Data Book of rare and endangered species.
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| The python was found while squeezing a monkey on Le Van Luong Street in Son Tra District, Da Nang, Vietnam, October 9, 2022. Photo: Ngoc Truc / Tuoi Tre |
Officers from Son Tra - Ngu Hanh Son Forest Protection Department were later mobilized to the location and supported the group of friends to remove the reptile from the residential area.
Le Tu Tan, a resident on Le Van Luong Street, said that the python was hunting for prey when it was found.
Although residents poked the python with a stick to rescue the monkey, the python still did not let go of its prey.
When the relevant forces brought specialized equipment to catch the python, they discovered the monkey was dead.
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| Rangers put the python into a cage to transport it to a station for further care in Da Nang, Vietnam, October 9, 2022. Photo: Ngoc Truc / Tuoi Tre |
"While many people were thrilled to witness the enormous python descend from the mountain for the first time to hunt for prey, others were scared because a giant python like that still remained on the mountain," Tan said.
“Everyone was surprised to see a big python in a residential area."
The monkey who was killed by the python was a rhesus macaque, not a red-shanked douc which is listed as endangered.
According to Ngo Truong Chinh, head of the Son Tra - Ngu Hanh Son Forest Protection Department, big pythons are still frequently seen on Son Tra Mountain by forest rangers.
However, this is the first time anyone has seen a huge python hunting for prey in this location.
“The python was brought to our station for further care before being released back into Son Tra Mountain,” Chinh said.
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