My Yesterday Evening Catch

Once again yesterday evening, I was going out to see a friend and just after leaving at 5oo meters from my house I came across a snake on the road. I was driving a motorbike and just after turning into a little and dark soi (road) in the village, I saw the reflection of the light on the skin of the snake. A villager was driving on the other side of the road and he started to slow down as he saw me stopping right in front of the snake and he may have thought that I am crazy. I opened my phone light and look at what kind of snake it was. In the dark I was thinking it may be a cobra and possibly a spitting cobra so I put the glass from the helmet down to protect my face just in case it was a spitting cobra and at first stay about a meter away until I identify the snake. It was quite calm despite me stopping next to it, cobra will quickly follow my moves and open the hood and start to whistle at me, but here it wasn't the case as I light the snake I was really happy to see that it was a baby reticulated Python.

The reticulated python is the longest snake in the world with the longest ever caught in Indonesia was about 34 feet long. It is a snake originated from South East Asia and it is also renowned to be a very intelligent snake. It is a very beautiful snake with a very nice pattern on its skin. It is also well known to be a perfect killer and feed on deer, boar, crocodile and sometimes also human. This one is just a baby but as it grows bigger it will start to feed on big prey. About 8 months ago, I also came across another reticulated python, it was about 200 meters from the place I found this one. The other one was about 4 meters long and was about two years old full of muscle. You can see the pictures of the other one Here but as I was alone I cannot take the risk to end up in a battle with a 4 meters long snake. The reticulated python is a constrictor snake and if you end up inside its coils it is difficult to free yourself from inside, external help is required as every time the snake feel you breathing it will strangle you more. Even the strength of the snake is very powerful an external person will have no problem to free you from the coils.

For a long time, I hope to find a small reticulated python to manipulate a little and take a few pictures as it is really one of the most beautiful snakes with beautiful colors, eyes, and shape. Most of the time I remove snakes and bring them outside the village in the forest for the villager to not kill them. So, yesterday after identifying the little guy I catch it and at the same time another motorbike arrives with a policeman from here, he saw me with the snake in my hand and he stops on the other side of the road and ask me what is it, I told him "ngoo luam" (python) and he told me that I am strong to catch snake as most of Thai people especially in villages will kill before identify. So after the catch, I managed to drive with the snake in one hand and drive the motorbike slowly on the other hand. I brought the snake home even someone wasn't happy about it and put it in a box with holes for air for it stay the night there and today take some pictures of this natural beauty before release it into the jungle.

Love and Happiness

@ricko66