A pet parrot in Singapore was rescued in the nick of time when its owners discovered a huge python coiled around the bird’s cage.
The 1.5m long (5ft) snake was found on in Melvin Yap's home.
Yap extricated the python and passed it to an animal rescue group. He told the BBC that their pet bird, named Nikki, survived unharmed, but was “petrified”.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Yap said he was fast asleep early yesterday morning when he was woken by frantic screams in his house.
“My domestic helper was in the process of cleaning the bird's cage. The snake was just right in front of her, and she didn't see it until my wife spotted it and screamed ‘Snake!’,” he said.
Yap rushed downstairs with his 10-year-old daughter, who assisted him as he “coaxed” the snake into a large plastic bag with a stick.
His encounter, which was covered by local media outlets, “drew astonished responses from Singaporeans, not least for the way in which he caught the reptile,” says the BBC. “STICK and PLASTIC BAG???? Salute ah!” wrote one Facebook commenter.
But Yap said he “just wanted to quickly contain the situation, and ensure my loved ones didn't get hurt”.
“After I caught it, I realised it was more scared of us than the other way round. It was in defensive mode, curling up and trying to protect itself.”
Although pythons do not have a venomous bite, “there have been reports of the giant animals attacking people,” says Metro.
In March this year “an Indonesian man was apparently swallowed by a python, while earlier this month another Indonesian was badly hurt after wrestling with a python – which was subsequently killed and eaten,” adds the paper.
-
‘The worry is far from fanciful’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How are Americans bracing for the end of SNAP?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Millions depend on supplemental federal food funds that are set to expire this month, as the government shutdown begins to be acutely felt
-
Book review: ‘Joyride: A Memoir’Feature A journalist’s story of how she chased and accomplished her dreams
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
