Snake expert rejects suggestion that the
7.5m python might have killed itself
Oliver Holmes in
Bangkok
Tuesday 12 April 2016 06.21 BST
Last modified on Tuesday 12 April
201607.26 BST
A python caught in Malaysia and first
thought to be the longest snake in captivity has lost both its run at the title
and its life.
Two people working for the department
that trapped the animal said it was remeasured at 7.5 metres, just 17
centimetres short of first place.
The reticulated python was
found last week on a construction site where a flyover was being built
in Paya Terubong, a district on the island
of Penang
The sudden death of the animal, estimated after
its capture to be 8 metres, just days after it was found has led to concerns
that it was mishandled.
Shazree Mustapha, a public relations
officer at Malaysia
“Maybe she committed suicide. Maybe she
felt threatened so she killed herself,” he said, adding he was not certain this
was the reason for its demise.
He said the snake’s body was handed over
to the wildlife department. A sole egg that the serpent laid shortly before
dying was also transferred, he added.
Video of the snake following its capture
showed a man kicking it. Construction workers also posed for photos holding the
python as a noose was held around its neck.
Raymond Hoser, who runs snake
handling courses and
gave reticulated pythons their scientific name, Broghammerus Reticulatus, said that snakes do not kill themselves
and the python likely died due to internal injuries.
“Snakes don’t just drop dead. If they die
there is a reason,” he told the Guardian.
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