Three-Meter Python Caught After Killing 25 Chickens
A three-meter python that killed 25 chickens over two weeks was caught and released in Udon Thani after the homeowner discovered it hanging from a pomelo tree with a dead bird in its grip.
On September 20, staff from the Udon Thani Dhamma Promotion Foundation received a call for help after a large python was spotted eating chickens inside a residential house on the Udon Thani-Nong Samrong road in Ban Bo Nam, Moo Muen subdistrict, Mueang district, Udon Thani province. They brought reptile-catching equipment and responded immediately.
At the scene, the python was found hanging from a pomelo tree with its body draped across a branch. Officers assessed the situation, used equipment to secure the tail area, tied a rope around the head, and carefully hauled the snake down from the tree amid tension from the homeowner and neighbors. The python measured approximately three meters long and weighed around 20 kilograms. A dead fighting chicken bearing constriction marks was also found nearby. Officers placed the snake in a fertilizer sack to be released back into the wild.
When questioned, homeowner Wutthiphat, 32, explained that he raises fighting chickens, but over the past two weeks they had disappeared two to three at a time—a total of about 25 birds. He initially suspected cats, rats, or thieves, never imagining a python of this size. One night, he heard the chickens panicking and grabbed a flashlight to investigate. When he shone it on the pomelo tree, he was shocked to see the python's tail and a dead chicken in its grip, so he immediately called rescuers.
Wutthiphat said that finding such a large python is unusual and he believes it may bring good fortune. He plans to use his house number 147 for the lottery draw on October 1, 2569, though whether he will win depends on luck and belief.
Initial assessment suggests the python likely came from nearby wild areas or land being cleared for construction, searching for food before finding the chicken coop with abundant prey and hunting continuously until the homeowner discovered and had it captured.
The mystery of the chickens disappearing over nearly two weeks has finally been solved. What once seemed like the work of cats, rats, or thieves turned out to be a giant python lurking on the pomelo tree. Whether house number 147 becomes lucky for the owner will be determined in the October 1 lottery draw.
