Giant python found on Malaysia building site dies

The reticulated python which later died after laying an egg, measured a whopping 7.5 metres in length and weighed a staggering 250 kilograms.

Five members of Malaysia Civil Defence hold the 7.5m reticulated python. Malaysia Civil Defence Departmen / AFP Photo

KUALA LUMPUR // A snake found nestling on a building site could be the longest ever captured in Malaysia, officials said Tuesday.

The reticulated python is a whopping 7.5 metres long and weighed a staggering 250 kilograms.

The snake was discovered on Penang island by construction workers and kept in an office, where it was fed and watered while wildlife experts were contacted.

However, the python died on Sunday after laying an egg, a spokesman for the civil defence department said.

“We are so sad this happened,” he said. “We have rescued many other snakes and animals before. We’re not sure why the snake died.

“We fed it mice, other meats and gave [it] water, just like we gave other snakes in the past.”

Curious residents flocked to the office over the weekend to catch a glimpse of the reptile, with one person offering 10,000 ringgit (Dh9,500) for it, The Star newspaper reported.

The civil defence spokesman said the snake was certainly one of the longest found in Malaysia.

The longest snake in captivity — also a reticulated python — is a 7.67 metre specimen called Medusa, which lives in the United States, according to the website of Guinness World Records.

* Agence France-Presse