Photographs: Bali Reptile Rescue
Although Bali does not have tigers or clouded leopards, the small Indonesian island still harbours some impressive land predators, the biggest ones being giants of the cold blooded kind. Last November, the people from Bali Reptile Rescue, a volunteer organization that is dedicated to saving and relocating snakes, received a call and stumbled upon a curious scene that involved three Balinese top predators. It all started off with a struggle between a reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus) and a leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis javanensis). The python and the leopard cat had fought, which resulted in the snake killing the cat. Meanwhile, a king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), the longest and biggest venomous snake on earth (adult specimens can reach lengths of four to almost six metres), that resided nearby was drawn towards the spectacle. King cobras feed on other snakes, so the king cobra attacked the python an subsequently tried to swallow the large constrictor. After more people arrived at the scene, the cobra got a little agitated, spat out the head of the python (the body of the reticulated python wasn’t inside the king cobra yet) and tried to escape. Since villagers did not want it left near the village, the volunteers of Bali Reptile Rescue managed to catch the king successfully, without injuring the snake or any human being in the process. The beautiful snake will be relocated and set free in an area further away from human settlement.
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