Kota Kinabalu: A two-metre mangrove snake or gold-ringed cat snake was captured by a team from the Malaysia Civil Defence Force after it was found coiled on the ceiling of a tyre shop along Jalan Tebobon, in Manggatal, here, on Wednesday.The venomous reptile was initially thought to be a cloth left to dry on the ceiling of the premises' pantry."My colleague saw the reptile there several days ago, but she did not alert us because she thought it was just a piece of cloth someone left there," said 36-year-old Aidi Kusup who alerted the Civil Defence Force.
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He said they only realised that the 'cloth' was actually a snake coiled up on the ceiling when a clerk entered the pantry to wash her hands on Wednesday."She glanced up and saw it moving, prompting her to rush out of the pantry in shock," he said on Thursday.
Aidi, who has worked in the shop since 2014 said this was the first time a snake was caught in the premises. "It is not surprising to see reptiles coming here since our premises is located near several bushes," he said.
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Meanwhile, Civil Defence Force Sabah Director Col. Mulliadi Al-Hamdi Ladin on Thursday said a team from Tuaran led by Lance Corporal Joerizal Steven responded to the 3.29pm distress call.The team managed to capture the reptile at about 4.14pm.
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"Our team in Kota Kinabalu could not respond to the call because they were assisting at another emergency in Kinarut," he explained.
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Several cases of snakes being captured in premises out of their habitats were reported over the past months. Among them involved a King Cobra, said to be the world's longest venomous snake, measuring about nine feet long which was found inside the spare tyre of a Toyota Land Cruiser at HSK Industrial Centre in Penampang in November.
