A python rescued after becoming entangled in a net in a chilli field on St Martin’s Island has been released into a forest in Teknaf, according to the Forest Department.
Officials said the snake measured about 10 feet in length, weighed approximately 20 kilograms and was estimated to be between five and six years old.
South Forest Division Teknaf Range Officer Abdur Rashid confirmed the development on Saturday.
He said the python was rescued on Friday after it became trapped in a net in a chilli field near a residential area on the island. The reptile was later transported by speedboat from St Martin’s Island to Teknaf and subsequently released deep inside the Teknaf Wildlife Sanctuary.
“We believe the python may have originated from Myanmar,” he said. “There are no hills or suitable python habitats on St Martin’s Island, while Myanmar lies very close to the island. Various objects, including logs and debris, frequently drift from Myanmar to the St Martin’s coast. The snake may have reached the island while clinging to floating timber or debris.”
He added that similar pythons are found in the forests of Teknaf and that even larger specimens inhabit the area.
“The snake has been safely released into a suitable forest habitat,” he said.
Former secretary and marine researcher Saeed Mahmud Belal Haider said the python had been found at a household in the island’s southern settlement area.
He noted that pythons have never previously been recorded in the biodiversity inventory of St Martin’s Island.
“The island’s marine ecosystem is not suitable for pythons,” he said. “Their presence could pose a threat to the island’s ecological balance and food chain.”
According to him, there are two possible explanations for the snake’s arrival on the island. One possibility is that flooding in Myanmar’s Rakhine region washed the python into the Bay of Bengal, where ocean currents carried it to St Martin’s Island. Another possibility is that someone intentionally brought the snake to the island and released it.
The python was first spotted on Friday morning by local resident Musa Ali, who found it trapped in a net in a chilli field within his homestead. With assistance from local people, the reptile was safely rescued.
The discovery of such a large python on the island generated both concern and curiosity among local residents.
Cox’s Bazar Life Report
Photo: Courtesy
