PHUKET: Police on duty at the Heroines Monument this morning (July 3) have been praised online for stopping traffic at the Heroines Monument to prevent a python crossing the road from being run over.
The officers, from Thalang Police Station, were on traffic duty at the Heroines Monument when they spotted the large python, about two metres long, slithering across the road at about 9:20am.
The officers stepped out to stop cars from continuing while the snake made its way across the road in front of the Robinson Lifestyle shopping mall.
Rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation were called to the scene and soon had the python safely bagged. The snake is to be later released back into the wild.
The traffic police officers involved were praised for their actions to prevent harm to the python, and to have rescue workers come and safely remove the snake from the area.
As marked in a special report in May, each year when the annual rains return, snakes across the island will be on the move. Phuket today is enjoying a reprieve for nearly five days of heavy rain across the island, with heavy isolated downpours causing minor flooding in some areas.
Long-term Phuket expat and snake wrangler Vinnie Modell urges people to be more aware of snakes on the move. The top five snakes he recommends people be on the lookout for are:
- Golden Tree Snake (Chrysopelea ornata) – Low Venomous, Non Dangerous Biter
- Oriental Rat Snake (Ptyas mucosa) – Non Venomous, Non Dangerous Biter
- Reticulated Python (Malayopython reticulatus) – Non Venomous, Dangerous Biter
- Monocled Cobra (Naja kaouthia) – Highly Venomous
- King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) – Highly Venomous
