Reticulated python recovered in Antipolo barangay

A 3-meter-long reticulated python was surrendered to the city government by a resident of a barangay in Antipolo City on Monday, Feb. 19, Antipolo City Mayor Jun Ynares said.

According to Ynares, Jose Saulda from Barangay San Isidro surrendered the python to the city government which was then turned over to the Animal Control Team of Antipolo's Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO).

The mayor urged residents who may saw any snake in their homes to not try to catch, hurt, or kill the animal and instead immediately call the City Veterinary Office (CVO) (8689-4514) or inform their respective barangays.

According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), reticulated pythons are native to the rainforests of Southeast Asia including the Philippines and lives in rain forests, woodlands, grasslands, rivers and nearby streams, and lakes.

The snake's conservation status is currently listed as least concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) because of its wide distribution.

According to wildlifelearningcenter.org, these snakes are heavily dependent on water and can often be found near small rivers or ponds and require tropical environments.

It added that these types of python can weigh up to 350 lbs and is considered by many as the largest and longest snake in the world.

The largest reticulated python ever measured was 32 feet, 9.5 inches and holds the record for the largest snake in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records in 1991.

In January, a 9-foot-long python was also recovered by city government officials which was spotted inside the house of a family while they were sleeping.

They then called the city's Animal Control Team who immediately responded to the area and successfully caught the said python.