Giant Python Captured in Pattaya Pond After Backhoe Rescue
A 5-meter, 30-kilogram female python was captured from a pond in central Pattaya after a backhoe was used to flush it out. Firefighters spent over 30 minutes locating the snake before the backhoe operator created waves to drive it to the edge. Workers reported at least two to three more large pythons remain in the pond, and the captured snake was released in a remote area.
At 6:00 p.m. on November 14, 2026, the Pattaya City Fire Department received a report from Ms. Paveena Tawana, 30, that a large python was hiding in a pond on her property in Soi Khao Phai 9, Nong Prue, Bang Lamung, Chonburi. Responders arrived with reptile-catching equipment. The site is a vacant lot of over two rai in the heart of Pattaya, with a pond about 30 meters wide and 100 meters long. Ms. Paveena was waiting in shock, explaining she had hired a backhoe to level the land for vegetable farming when the machine uncovered a python with a body as thick as a leg, over five meters long. Officials found the snake had dived into a clump of reeds in the middle of the pond. After searching for more than 30 minutes without success, they had the backhoe operator use the bucket to churn the water, creating waves to drive the snake out. The python swam to the pond's edge, where the team managed to capture it with great effort due to its size and weight. Preliminary examination showed it was a female weighing over 30 kilograms with minor abrasions. The backhoe operator added that two to three more large pythons also inhabit the pond. The captured python was later released back into the wild in a remote area far from the community.
