A rare species of python was discovered in a hotel room in Yangyang-gun, Gangwon Province, prompting an emergency response from firefighters.
According to the Yangyang Fire Station, a report was received around 5 p.m. on the 16th about a snake wriggling in a 16th-floor hotel room in Yangyang. The responding rescue team captured the snake with tongs and placed it in a net.
The discovered snake is a 'ball python,' measuring approximately 50 centimeters in length, and it is a species of python native to Africa. Classified as an endangered species internationally, it is protected, but in Korea, it has a gentle nature and is commonly kept as a pet due to its manageable care.
The Northern Conservation Center of the Korea National Park Wildlife Preservation Center reported that the discovered python is a juvenile, about 3 months old, and shows clear signs of having been raised by human hands. It is therefore suspected that a hotel guest secretly abandoned their pet snake in the room.
Currently, the python is under protection at the preservation center, and if an owner does not come forward by the end of this month, it will be handed over to the regional environmental agency.