It could have been one of those awful hoaxes that some TV stations have become specialists in. And yet, this actually happened. Recently, employees of a bank in Nanning, southern China, had the unpleasant surprise of seeing a python fall from the ceiling during their morning briefing.
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If the employees don't seem to appreciate the surprise, neither does the animal, immediately seeking to hide behind a nearby sofa. Non-venomous, pythons prefer constriction to control their prey and are not used to attacking humans. Fortunately, the incident caused more fear than harm.
Bank staff called for help and the 11 pound, 5-foot long snake was gently captured before being placed in a bag and taken to a nearby wildlife centre.
The second python captured in two years
The only python living in the wild in China is the Burmese python, which can measure up to 20 feet in length and weigh about 110 pounds. Measurements that make it one of the largest snakes in the world. The intruder, whose species was not disclosed, belonged to a private individual, a neighbour of the bank. The specialists who recovered it think it broke into the attic of the building in search of food.
Interest in exotic species is booming in China today, with many protected specimens being caught and poached. Legal or not, this snake should slither more peacefully in a terrarium.
Ironically, this is not the first time a snake has been captured in this establishment. Already, in 2017, local firefighters had been called in to capture another python.
