A MAN who had been asleep at his house in Kg Sepagaya Hilir, Lahad Datu, Sabah, was awaken by the sound of his chickens agitatedly clucking in the early hours of this morning.

Lahad Datu civil defence officer Asby Mohd Anwar said the department received a call regarding a snake – which turned out to be a 52kg, 4m-long ular sawa batik (Malayopython reticulatus) – at 4.44am today.

“The complainant woke up after hearing the agitated chickens. When he went to inspect the commotion, he noticed the snake on his jambu tree,” he told reporters.

He said civil defence personnel took 20 minutes to catch the python, but not before it scarfed down a chicken.

The snake was taken away and released in its natural habitat, he added. – Bernama, October 22, 2021.