PIKIRAN RAKYAT - Seven officers from the Sumedang City Fire Department experienced difficulties when evacuating a giant python that had entered the residential area of Panyingkiran Sumedang, West Java, Indonesia.

The difficulty was not only due to the large number of people who wanted to see the python up close but also because the snake was in a deep hole in the drainage.

"We had difficulty reaching the python weighing approximately 10 kilograms due to the deep hole in the ditch. So we were forced to use hot water and detergent to pull out the snake," said Nugraha (31), an officer in charge of the squad commander at the Sumedang City Fire Division Satpol PP Office.

Nugraha said the method was quite effective in getting the snake to come out because it finally made the snake feel uncomfortable.

"Even though we had difficulty reaching the animal due to the large number of residents, we finally caught it and evacuated it to our office," he said.

Nugraha admitted that such incidents have been happening frequently in the city lately, and the latest one was probably an animal belonging to a resident who got loose.

"So I urge people to be careful with their pets so they don't get loose and endanger neighbors. I also urge residents not to panic if they find this incident. Evacuate as much as possible and immediately inform us about it. So that we can immediately take security measures so as not to endanger residents," he said.

Before finally being evacuated by the Satpol PP Fire Department, the python was among residents for three days.

"The residents only informed us earlier, at around 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, 3 June 2023, even though the snake was found by the residents at 24:00 a.m. on 30 June 2023," Nugraha said.

Separately to Pikiran Rakyat Sumedang, an eyewitness at the scene, Ninten (52), a resident of the Panyingkiran neighborhood RT 02 RW 02 Situ Village, North Sumedang District, said that she was the first to find the snake.

"At around 24.00 Wib, when I was about to go home while pushing the Soto cart, I was panicked to see a giant snake appearing with its head up and its neck stretched out. Feeling threatened and scared, I finally told my husband about it," said Ninten, Wednesday, 3 July 2024.

According to her, after receiving his wife's report, Heri (50) secured the snake by evacuating it with makeshift equipment, such as an iron rod. "My husband, using an iron rod, tried to pry the snake out, but the snake went into the hole in the drainage and the rescue mission failed. Yes, it has been delayed for three days," said Ninten.

For safety, the python was kept at the Fire Station.

"For security purposes, we keep the python at the fire station. If anyone needs it, we invite them to take the snake. But if no one takes it, we will be forced to release it to its habitat," Nugraha said.***(Politeknik Negeri Bandung/Ahyaithannisa Taufik)