PATHANAMTHITTA: A 10-foot-long python was rescued by wildlife officials on Saturday from Pothupara near Konni in the district, after the residents reported seeing the reptile swallow a pet dog in the premises of a house.
The owner of the pet dog, Kishore, woke up late last night hearing the squealing of the canine outside his house.
Upon reaching the spot, he found the python weighing around 15kg trying to swallow the dog. On raising alarm, his neighbours also reached the spot and tried to save the canine, but could not.
Later, the forest officials reached the spot and tried to rescue the dog from the jaws of the reptile. However, the dog could not be saved. They captured the python and released it into the deeper area of the forest.
There has been a rising number of man-animal conflicts in the district. Amid the incidents, CPIM Pathanamthitta district secretary K P Udayabhanu has challenged the forest department, saying that the wild animals will be shot if they come to residential areas. He also said that the authorities must not intimidate the public by citing legal intricacies in the matter.
He was speaking at a convention in Chittar, a hilly hamlet in the district, addressing the recent wild animal conflicts.