Article by Jasvic Lye, OWN Campaign Manager
November 2024
Imagine being burnt alive.
On 20 November 2024, two individuals were filmed deliberately setting a reticulated python ablaze - not once, but thrice, in an attempt to remove the snake from a piece of machinery. Despite the ordeal, the weakened and tortured reptile survived, just barely, and was eventually contained in a clear box. The committed act of cruelty is both ruthless and unnecessary.
The incident was brought to light after ACRES received an anonymous report and Anbu, Co-CEO of ACRES, has recently addressed the case on the organisation’s social media platforms. NParks is currently investigating the case.
Not the first
Unfortunately, cruelty to reptiles is nothing new in Singapore. In April 2023, a group of men were caught on camera throwing vegetable crates at a python that was trying to escape the hands of a man who was restraining the snake by the tail. The situation escalated when the man - who was later identified to be a hawker - took a cleaver to decapitate the snake, and posed for social media with the dead snake.
Screenshot of the CNA news article on the python that was killed at Boon Lay Place Market.
ACRES shares that in the past ten years, their hotline recorded 85 cases involving reptiles (mainly snakes) being subjected to cruelty, such as being sprayed with pesticide/insecticides or attacked with fire, hot water or sticks by members of the public or pest control. Separately since 2017, ACRES's animal crime investigations team have investigated 55 cases involving the mishandling of reptiles by members of the public or pest control companies.
Snakes are protected under the law
Snakes are protected under the Wildlife Act and although the hawker was penalised, many argued that his charges were insufficient to deter future acts of cruelty from happening again.
The penalty for killing a reticulated python under the Wildlife Act is up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 6 months. Under the Animals and Birds Act, cruelty resulting in suffering can incur fines of up to $15,000 and/or 18 months imprisonment, if caused by individuals and not animal-related businesses.
With support from Minister Desmond Lee, OWN, together with ACRES and the Herpetological Society of Singapore, held a joint public engagement at the very location where the python was abused and killed.
Outreach at Boon Lay Market and Food Centre in 2023
Members of the public were made aware that the presence of pythons in urban spaces indicates that there are prey animals in the area. Just like all animals, snakes travel where their food goes. Reticulated pythons in Singapore are known to mainly feed on rats and pigeons — animals that are commonly found in and around eateries. This explains why the python the group of men encountered was near the bin centre between the wet market and the hawker centre.
It was heartening to learn that not all residents detest snakes despite being fearful and many have condemned the group of men for the needless violence towards the python.
It's okay to be afraid but do not cause harm
Pulling from years of recorded data from ACRES’s wildlife rescue logs, many reptiles that were killed and abused are the result of fear and panic. The lack of knowledge on what to do during a wildlife encounter and how to manage a situation responsibly and safely often leads to a negative outcome for either the human or the animal, or worse, both.
Fear is a natural instinct in humans to keep us away from danger and if we learn to respond to it appropriately - such as to stay away from an animal we fear - we are doing ourselves and the animal a favour.
…we navigate so many risks in our environment on daily basis. We know how to use the escalator safely, we know to stand behind the yellow line on a train platform, so surely we can also learn about wildlife that we so fear so we can get rid of the fear and practice wildlife etiquette. The Wildlife Act and the Animals and Birds Act in Singapore are there to safeguard animal welfare, and protect the animals in our City in Nature who cannot speak up for themselves. Us humans may wear different lenses when we view animals. Some of us may favour certain species over the other but the suffering and pain is universal so whether the animal is an otter, a dog, a cat or a snake — they all can feel pain!
- Anbarasi Boopal, ACRES Co-CEO (Advocacy)
The widespread misconception that all snakes are dangerous stems from years of exaggerated and often inaccurate portrayals of serpents in the media, folklore passed down through generations, and varying cultural depictions of the animal. These factors have contributed to snakes being one of the most misunderstood animals.
‘How to tell if a snake is dangerous’ flowchart by Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
You may not like them but we need them
Snakes contribute to every level of the food chain. They play a vital role in regulating a healthy ecosystem by maintaining the population of prey animals and being prey themselves.
For example, our native reticulated pythons feed mainly on rats while the smallest snake species in Singapore, the brahminy blind snake, feed on termites and ants — both serve as nature’s population managers. On the other hand, snakes are part of other animals’ diets too. Their predators include civets, monitor lizards and birds like raptors. Even large reticulated pythons sometimes fall prey to king cobras!
A king cobra swallowing a reticulated python | Photo courtesy of Law Ingg Thong
There's no need to worry
Snakes can be found all across our island — travelling in drains, cooling off in water bodies, hunting for frogs hiding in tall grasses and gliding from tree to tree. They are quiet and elusive, preferring to live in solitude.
Snakes are not confrontational, often choosing to avoid any form of interaction by staying perfectly still or finding an escape route when seen. However, they are more than capable of defending themselves if a situation calls for it. Without arms or legs, they have evolved to strike with their mouths and constrict to free themselves from a captor’s grip.
Here are the dos and don’ts should you encounter a snake:
Observe a safe distance between you and the snake.
Do not approach, touch, corner or provoke the snake.
Call the ACRES Wildlife Rescue hotline at 9783 7782 or the NParks 24-hr Animal Response Centre hotline at 1800-476-1600 if you encounter a wild animal that is trapped or in distress.
If you have a companion animal:
Keep your pet dog on a taut leash when out for walks, especially near nature areas.
Do not leave your pet unattended outdoors (e.g. in a backyard garden) if snakes are known to frequent the area.
Prevent your pet from approaching a snake, no matter how small the snake is as venomous snakes cannot be identified by simply looking at the shape of their heads or the colour of their bodies.
To minimise the occurrence of snakes in your premises, practice responsible food waste management. Always identify and eliminate the root cause. For example, improper food waste disposal attracts rats and thus, attracts pythons to the area.
For more information, download our animal advisories here.
By developing a deeper understanding towards our wildlife and how we can respectfully behave around them, we can coexist with snakes and all other wild animals in our City in Nature.
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