Pet python's owner charged with endangering residents

Sharjah: The owner of a Burmese python discovered by residents on Sunday has been charged by police with endangering the lives of residents.

According to a senior official at Sharjah Police, the owner approached police because he wanted to claim his python that had cost him Dh40,000.

In a statement to the police, the owner said that he worked as a snake trader at the Bird and Animal Market, and used his python for snake shows. The snake was imported from the US and the owner claimed that the python was harmless.

Police said the python, which is currently under the care of the Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife in Sharjah, is three metres long and weighs 35kg.

Police said the owner kept the python in a cage inside his apartment in the Al Naba'a area. On Sunday afternoon, the snake managed to escape from the cage and left the apartment by slithering through the bathroom window and eventually ended up on the street.

The Operation Control Room at Sharjah Police said they received a call at 3pm about a large snake that fell from a date palm on the roadside.

"It was difficult at first to capture the snake because it was scared from the loud cries of the people who surrounded it, and it moved randomly from one place to another. Eventually, we managed to put it in a bag and call Sharjah Municipality to take action," said the police official.

Police said that although the snake is not poisonous it is a very dangerous animal as it can put the lives of children at risk, and that if they are used as an exotic pet the owners should ensure that they are kept in a secure environment.