This was no ordinary morning for a family living in Eunos.

According to The New Paper, Goh, a resident in a Eunos HDB maisonette, discovered a three-metre long reticulated python in the toilet, coiled around a beam.

The python was first encountered by Goh's wife at 6.45am on Dec 30, 2018.

Goh's daughter and son-in-law then contacted the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), who told the family that they would send help.

Meanwhile, Goh reached out to the Marine Parade Town Council (MPTC) via the Essential Maintenance Services Unit (EMSU) hotline at the same time.

He was told by the EMSU customer service agent that he would need to call a pest control company to handle the python.

Reached out to different agencies for help

After several failed attempts, the family found a pest control company who agreed to assist in the removal of the python.

An employee of the company came down and assessed that the python was too big for him to handle alone.

After calling for additional help, reinforcements arrived to assist the employee at 8am, and the team managed to remove the python 30 minutes later.

The python was then released to a forested area.

This all occurred before the help that AVA had sent reached Goh's home. Goh's daughter called to inform AVA that the python was already caught.

The removal of the animal cost the Goh family S$400.

What to do when you see a snake

In the event you discover a python or a snake in your house, you can contact the AVA at 1800 476 1600, or the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) at 978 7782.

Avoid contacting pest control companies as there had been previous cases of such firms mishandling wild animals, resulting in death and injury.

Some general tips from AVA to deal with snakes while waiting for help include the following:

1) Do not attack nor confront the snake.

2) Keep your distance.

3) Keep children and pets away from the area.

4) Close all doors except those that allow the snake to leave the house.

5) If the snake is in the garden, spray it gently with a water hose at a distance to guide it away.

6) If it's in an open area and not moving much, hold a blanket or towel in front of you while approaching it, and cast it over the snake. It will calm the snake down if it cannot see what's going on outside. Place heavy objects around the edge of the blanket or towel to buy you time to get help.

Top image via Pixabay