Johor firemen kept busy catching snakes, monitor lizards
JOHOR BARU: The Johor Fire and Rescue Department has been kept busy catching snakes and monitor lizards in several districts in the state. The first incident happened at 7.40am on Tuesday (July 7) involving a two-metre long python found at a house along Lorong Aman near Kampung Melayu Majidee here. Tebrau Fire and Rescue station chief Saiful Bahri Safar said they deployed a fire engine along with nine personnel to the location. “Upon arrival, our firemen found the reptile in a chicken coop,” he said, adding that the snake was removed at 7.52am and released in the wild far away from the area. At about 8.08am, the Bandar Baru Segamat Fire and Rescue station received a call regarding another python at a house along Jalan Elias in Kampung Abdullah. Its chief Marzuki Ismail said they deployed a fire engine and six firemen to the location. “The 2.44m snake was found under a water tank, and by 8.20am, we removed the reptile and relocated it in its natural habitat,” he said. Some two hours later, the Bukit Gambir Fire and Rescue station was called to remove a monitor lizard found inside a bathroom of an office building along Jalan Perdagangan at 10.29am. Station chief Nur Rashid Mamat said nine firemen successfully captured it at 10.47am. At 12.50pm, the Kulai Fire and Rescue station received a call regarding a monitor lizard that had made its way into a primary school office in Felda Taib Andak. Station chief Mohd Khairi Zainudin said the lizard was only 30cm in length and several firemen were deployed to relocate it. A few hours later, at about 3.49pm, the Muar Fire and Rescue station was called to handle another monitor lizard at Jalan Lama Parit Tiram. Station chief Mohd Jefri Jamal said that by 4.02pm, they had removed the one-metre long lizard from the premises. The day ended with two more snakes being caught by the Kluang Fire and Rescue station at two homes in Taman Titiwangsa and Taman Seri Permai. The snakes were a python and a vine snake, both a metre in length each. Station chief Akob Sidek said the first call was regarding the vine snake at 4.25pm, and the other about the python at 6.58pm.