Authorities Capture Giant Snake After Swallowing Goat Whole in Malaysia

A massive reticulated python swallowed a goat whole in Kulai, Malaysia.

Local officials were able to capture the massive snake and apparently retrieved the goat's lifeless body earlier this week. The goat was believed to be confined in an outdoor cage, which the reptile was able to penetrate through.

Reticulated Python Swallows Goat

(Photo : STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Local authorities captured a reticulated python measuring 19.5 feet and weighing 170 pounds after swallowing a goat whole in Kulai, located in Malaysia's southern state of Johor.

Details of the incident were shared by the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department, State of Johoe.

It took at least seven men to carry the giant snake, which was released to an area far from human settlement, according to Newsweek.

The Johor Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) were notified of the event on Wednesday, September 28 at around 7:28 a.m. local time, prompting the deployment a team of eight personnel into the scene, according to a spokesman from the fire office, as cited by Malay Mail.

The alert received by Bomba started when the owner failed to locate one of his goats, which the python is believed to have swallowed.

Upon arrival, the reptile was found inside a goat pen or goat farm with its belly full, indicating it is indeed the culprit behind the missing goat.

The said goat breeder confirmed one of his female goats was nowhere to be found by Wednesday morning.

Still, it remains unclear how long the giant python was ingesting the domesticated ruminant animal or if it also consumed other animals in the area.

The Bomba operation ended at 8:21 a.m., with the fire department's spokesperson saying that this was the first time they received such complaint from the area but with no reported fatal accidents.

Video of the capture circulated online and one footage shows that the snake was throwing up the goat it had swallowed after one of the department's attempted to pull it from the python's mouth.

Also Read: Snake-cation! 5-Foot Reticulated Python Found in Hotel Room Cabinet

Commercial Hunting for Snakeskin

The reticulated python population has reportedly maintained a stable population despite widespread widespread commercial hunting for snakeskin.

Even the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categorized the reptiles as "least concern" in its list of threatened species.

In 2016, the IUCN issued a report stating that there are approximately 300,000 reticulated pythons (Malayopython reticulatus) harvested from the wild not only in Malaysia but also in Indonesia to supply snake skins for the international trade of exotic leathers.

With this, concerns have been raised with regards to illegal trade and human treatment of snakes.

The issue prompted the IUCN, along with scientists and conservationists, from Indonesia and Malaysia about how to harvest and trade reticulated pythons.

The reticulated python is a species native to Southeast Asia and South Asia.

While these types of snakes commonly consume livestock and other animals, experts say they have the ability to coil around a person and suffocate them, leading to death.