A 11-foot-long Burmese python was rescued from a fishing trap in Boalkhali upazila of Chattogram on Saturday, highlighting the growing interactions between local communities and wildlife in wetland areas.
The python was caught in a trap set in a wetland at Uttar Bhurshi village under Akhla Karaldenga Union in the morning.
Witness Boton Ghosh, who set the trap for fishing said, “I had placed a fishing trap in the wetland beside Gagan Master’s house. Around 8am when I went to collect it, I found a huge python trapped inside.”
Upon receiving the news, Amir Hossain Shawon, a member of the Wildlife and Snake Rescue Team, rushed to the spot and successfully rescued the python.
Shawon told The Climate Watch that the rescued snake is a Burmese python, measuring 11 feet in length and weighing approximately 12 kilograms.
“The python is uninjured and in good health. We have informed the Forest Department and are preparing to release it safely into the wild,” he said.
“Currently, I am taking care of three rescued pythons. The Forest Department advised that once the earlier two recover fully, they should also be released into a safe habitat.”
He added that pythons are natural cleaners of the ecosystem and play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity balance.
Just a week earlier, on 20 September, another 9-foot-long Burmese python weighing 10 kilograms was found entangled in a fishing net near Ramoni Mohor School in the same upazila. That snake sustained injuries from being trapped for a long time and is now under medical care with the rescue team. Once fully recovered, it too will be released into the wild.
According to the Wildlife and Snake Rescue Team, a total of four pythons have been rescued from different areas of Boalkhali in recent weeks.
“We urge everyone not to kill snakes or wild animals. Instead, inform local wildlife teams so they can be rescued safely,” Shawon appealed.
The repeated rescue of pythons in wetland and agricultural zones underscores the shrinking habitats and increasing human-wildlife encounters in Bangladesh’s coastal and hill districts. Experts stress the need for habitat protection, community awareness, and coexistence strategies to safeguard biodiversity.
