Hong Kong snake catcher grapples with 3.5-metre python, his biggest in 30 years
Motorists raises the alarm after spotting the huge reptile slithering along road in Tuen Mun
A 3.5-metre Burmese python was captured after being found crawling on a carriageway in Tuen Mun in the early hours of Wednesday.
The protected female reptile was spotted by a motorist wriggling along the Ting Kau section of Castle Peak Road near the Royal View Hotel in Ting Kau at about 1.30am.
He called police who in turn sought help from snake catcher Chan Tung-hoi as traffic was disrupted. By the time Chan arrived the python had crawled into bushes and entered a nullah.
The snake catcher quickly captured it but needed help from two officers to lift it into the boot of a police car and take it to Tsuen Wan police station.
The Burmese python weighed more than 50kg and was about 50 years old, according to Tsui Yiu-lam, Chan’s son-in-law. “It is the biggest python he has handled in 30 years,” he said.