BUTTERWORTH: Over the last few weeks, residents of Merbau Kudung here have been figuratively living in the shadow of a five-metre python lurking in a swampy area of the neighbourhood.
So it was with a collective sense of relief that residents greeted members of the Civil Defence Department (APM), who had arrived to remove the 60kg reptile from the township.
But the relief was short-lived, as the python went on the offensive and attempted to attack the team as they tried to remove it from its adopted home, as residents watched in horror.
Panic broke out when the giant snake reared its head, as team members tried to avoid being bitten, while wrestling with its massive, coiling body at 10.45pm last night.
"The python kept wriggling to avoid being captured, and this gave our APM members a difficult time,” said APM Kepala Batas unit chief Hamdiah Shahamudin.
"Tension rose when it tried to attack our five members.
“But our team managed to subdue the snake with help from residents," Hamdiah said yesterday, adding that it took the team half an hour to capture the reptile.
The python was sent to the Wildlife Department for temporary sanctuary.
