Sri Racha, Chonburi Province – Rescue volunteers from Sawang Prateep Sri Racha spent more than four hours on the morning of February 14th, 2026, successfully freeing a large Burmese python that had become wedged in a roadside drainage pipe in front of a popular suki mala (spicy hot pot) restaurant.
The operation began around 7:00 a.m. when Ms. Rossukon Chitsaiyen, 37, the owner of the “Tied Pot Suki Mala” restaurant located along the entrance road to Wat Khao Taeng On in Village 1, called for assistance. She reported that staff had discovered the snake stuck at the mouth of a cement-covered drainage pipe when opening the shop that morning. Passersby had already begun gathering to watch the unusual sight.
At the scene, rescuers found the python, roughly the thickness of an adult’s arm, trapped with its body lodged tightly in a PVC drainage pipe beneath a heavy concrete manhole cover. The snake’s head had emerged from an adjacent opening in the pipe, while its tail protruded from the main entrance, drawing shocked reactions from onlookers.
Initial attempts to pull the snake out by its tail failed due to the tight fit. The team then poured water and vegetable oil into the pipe to lubricate it, hoping to reduce friction, but this proved ineffective. After nearly four hours of effort, rescuers used tools to pry open and lift the heavy concrete cover. They secured the snake’s head with specialized reptile-handling equipment before carefully extracting the entire 3-meter-long python unharmed.
Once freed, the snake was placed in a sack and released back into a natural habitat away from residential areas.
Speaking to reporters, Ms. Rossukon explained that her employees spotted the snake immediately upon opening the shop. Although initially frightened, she felt sympathy for the animal, believing it was in pain and distress. The concrete cover proved too heavy for civilians to remove alone, leading to the call to rescue volunteers. She speculated the python likely entered the pipe overnight in search of food or shelter, but after eating, its swollen belly prevented it from retreating fully, trapping it from around 4:00 a.m. until morning.
Ms. Rossukon expressed gratitude to the Sawang Prateep Si Racha team for their dedication and treated them to breakfast as a token of appreciation. She noted that in her years running the business along this road, she had never encountered a snake of this size or in such a predicament before.
This entire situation took place only one day after a smaller python caused panic on Jomtien Beach as we covered here.
