Rescuers tackle python puzzle in wall gap, sparks rush for lottery tickets in central Thailand

A stubborn python snake that hid in a tiny brick wall gap had rescuers engaged in a gruelling two-hour effort to free it and sparked a rush to buy lottery tickets. The unexpected incident in Nonthaburi province, central Thailand led the homeowner to speculate if luck had arrived with the creature, telling all that he plans to buy lottery tickets in hope.

Emergency services were alerted to the large python tucked away in the wall of a residence in Pak Kret District at approximately 5.30pm yesterday, July 26. They promptly dispatched rescue personnel with the requisite tools to capture the serpent. Upon arrival, they discovered a sizeable python coiled inside a narrow crevice of the aforementioned property. Although captors managed to lasso the snake, extraction was impossible due to the crack’s minimal width.

The snake, with a noticeable bulge mid-body, appeared to have consumed a rat or another small animal from the grassland nearby before slithering into the crevice. Upon successful lassoing of the snake, the team’s attempts to pull the reptile free were met with significant resistance, with the obstinate creature repeatedly burrowing its head deeper into the crevice to avoid capture.

Running out of alternatives, the team decided to widen the crevice by breaking the block brick wall. Partial success was achieved when only the tail end of the snake could be pulled out, with the snake’s head wedged into a hole inside the house, leading to the bathroom floor. Breaking the concrete bathroom floor, overlaid with tiles, proved to be a formidable challenge.

The team resolved to further expand the hole in the block wall to extract the snake. Each time they made progress, the clever creature tried to slither away. But finally, after widening the hole even more, they were able to haul out the stubborn snake, leaving the team panting from exhaustion. The operation took more than two hours before the serpent could be bagged and returned to nature.

Team member Kovit Boonmang, still panting from the ordeal, revealed the capture was particularly tedious and challenging because the snake had burrowed into the concrete floor, necessitating the breaking of three brick blocks to enlarge the hole.

The 64 year old homeowner, Vasana Nuanmai, recalled the incident with palpable excitement. She was sweeping her backyard when she spotted the snake in the wall crack and promptly alerted local authorities, who coordinated with a local rescue team.

Remarkably, despite the nerve-wracking ordeal, Vasana was hopeful about the unexpected visitor’s potential luck bestowal. She said…

“Perhaps this cobra will bring luck to the people in the house, I might buy lottery tickets using my house number.”