A large python was discovered hiding in an orchard in Panzhihua City, southwest China’s Sichuan Province.

People.cn reported that the python scared local residents and they had to call the police for help. As soon as the call was received, 6 armed firefighters rushed to the scene. After nearly two hours, the python weighing 50 kg and 4.2 m long was captured.

According to the owner of the garden, the python had appeared earlier and swallowed one of his chickens. He thought that the python only occasionally entered the garden and did not think to call the police. However, on the evening of July 5, he was terrified when he saw the python in the garden again and immediately called the police.

According to experts, the captured animal belongs to the Python molurus bivittatus breed, one of the six largest breeds of pythons in the world. This python is not poisonous but is very aggressive.

This species is also on the list of endangered species and protected at the national level. The python was released into its natural habitat by the local forestry department.

Police warn that pythons may appear more frequently in the summer. Most of them are not poisonous. However, people should call the police or fire department if they find pythons rather than catch them themselves.