Residents of Yen My town in Hung Yen Province had found a python stuck in a graveyard of Trai Trang Commune on January 25, while it was trying to enter a grave.

The locals rescued and fed the python before releasing it.

The python is of python molurus species, which is listed in the red book as an endangered and rare creature, the use of which for commercial purposes is limited.

"Before releasing a python, the authority should send it to the rescue centre for treatment of any disease. Once the python is healthy, it should be released in the forest," head of the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resource Nguyen Quang Truong said.

Though this python is a non-venomous type, it still can squeeze a human being or an animal to death. Thus, it should not be allowed to live near human beings, Truong said.

The python found in Hung Yen Province was 3.6m long and weighed about 40kg.

The local people have discovered pythons in the area many times since 2012.

The recent presence of wild pythons may be attributed to an event 10 years ago, when python smugglers were passing through the town. On being caught by the police, they released pythons in the area to avoid being punished, deputy head of Trai Trang Commune Nguyen Huu Linh said. 

VNS