Python with swollen belly found at Eunos after swallowing community cat

A reticulated python was spotted at Eunos Crescent with the front half of its body distended, with residents suspecting that it may have eaten a community cat.

In a post on the Facebook group Singapore Wildlife Sightings on Friday (Dec 6), a user going by the name Destiny Jing Yuan Soo shared photos of the snake lying on a grass patch with its back half inside a drain.

They wrote: "A lot of uncles and aunties were standing at one spot, so I wondered what happened? I walked towards them, and saw that there was a python with a bloated belly. 

"The folks there were saying it has probably eaten a cat."

Wildlife lovers commented on the Facebook post, urging the public to let the snake be.

"Leave the python alone and let it digest its long-fought meal," a comment read.

Another read: "Why can’t people leave it well alone to digest its meal? Cat or not, can’t help [it] already."

While some feared that pythons could attack small children, as they have eaten humans in other Southeast Asian countries, others claimed that the ones in Singapore are not large enough to do so.

"I have yet to read news of kids getting attacked by pythons in Singapore. Still waiting for the last 50+ years," one user snarked.

Snake transferred to Mandai Wildlife Group: NParks

The National Parks Board's (NParks) Group Director for Wildlife Management, How Choon Beng, released a statement shared with AsiaOne confirming that the snake had eaten but subsequently regurgitated the cat.

"The python, which is around two metres long, was removed and transferred to Mandai Wildlife Group for assessment and monitoring," it read. "If deemed suitable, it will be released in a forested area away from human dwellings."

He added that the reticulated python is a native animal to Singapore and could be encountered in urban areas, but they "play an important role in regulating the ecosystem by keeping the population of pests, such as rodents, low".

NParks recommends people who encounter a snake to "stay calm and back away slowly, giving it space to retreat". It should be left alone, especially if spotted in its natural habitat and not handled or approached.

Members of the public can call the NParks helpline at 1800-476-1600 if assistance is required.

This is not the first time a reticulated python, the longest snake in the world, has eaten cats in Singapore. Back in 2021, one even swallowed a small dog.

The co-CEO of ACRES Kalai Venon had previously said that "pythons have adapted well to urban areas and mostly feed on rats. However, when the opportunity rises, they do go for cats who frequent drains."

[[nid:712068]]

drimac@asiaone.com

No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.