MANILA – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-National Capital Region’s North Field Office (DENR-NCR-NFO) recently retrieved reticulated pythons from residential areas in Malabon and Caloocan City.
In a Facebook post on Monday, DENR said the pythons (Malayopython reticulatus) were retrieved from Barangay Catmon, Malabon City, and Barangay 167 Llano, Caloocan City on August 13 and 14, respectively.
“The snakes were captured by residents of said places and turned-over to their barangay who, in turn, coordinated with the NFO for their safe retrieval,” the post reads.
It added that reticulated pythons are native to the rainforests of Southeast Asia including the Philippines.
It lives in rain forests, woodlands, grasslands, rivers and nearby streams, and lakes.
Its 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 states that these types of python can weigh up to 350 lbs and “considered by many as the largest and longest snake in the world”.
The largest reticulated python ever measured was 32 ft 9.5 inches and holds the record for the largest snake in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records in 1991.
Both snakes were turned over to the Wildlife Rescue Center (WRC) of the DENR-Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) in Quezon City for rehabilitation and possible release back in the wild.
On August 5, the DENR-NCR East Field Office retrieved an owl belonging to the Great Eared Nightjar species (Eurostopodus macrotis) in Barangay Silangan, Quezon City.
The retrieval of the owl was made possible through a forwarded message sent by a certain Carlito Bayron, Jr.
The post stated that the owl “appeared to be weak and exhausted was surrendered by a resident who captured and kept it for several days”.
The EFO team endorsed the rescued wildlife to the Enforcement Division (ED) for temporary custody prior to its release back in the wild.
The DENR is encouraging the public to get in touch with them or through their local offices in case they see or encounter any wild animals.
The department, issued warnings several times already that keeping wild animals as pets is illegal.