‘Burglar’ in Kranji Coffee Shop Toilet at 1am Turned Out to Be a 4 to 5m Long Python

Sometimes, being a human is hard. 

You are subjected to… a lot of COVID-19 regulations. You can’t even eat at your favourite restaurants anymore, while animals are exempt from this rule.

Like mynae, or pigeons, happily feeding on rice grains nobody cares enough to clear. The last hurrah, perhaps, before 1 June.

Or pythons.

Python Sighted at Kranji Coffeeshop

The incident occurred on 15 May at about 1am, in a coffee shop along Kranji Road, Lianhe Wanbao reports.

Zi Char stall owner Mr Low and his sister were busy preparing their stall for Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) (what a mouthful) at this ungodly hour when they heard a sound coming from the locked bathroom.

Naturally, they suspected burglary, because what else would you expect? Ghosts?

To their surprise, they opened the toilet door to discover that a huge python had appeared in a hyper-urbanised city like ours.

For someone whose worst fear is opening the toilet door to find a cockroach crawling inside, the sight of a five-metre-long snake is…well, genuinely frightening.

They recorded a video right away and posted it on the internet for help, one that immediately went viral. Many suggested calling the Civil Defense Force or ACRES.

Before the powers of either organisation could be invoked, however, the python fled into the squatting toilet and disappeared without a trace. 

And that is one more reason why I would never use a squatting toilet.

There may be a silver lining, though, to the fright after all—netizens suggested that snakes symbolised prosperity, and the encounter was a sign of wealth for the zi char stall. 

You can check out Lianhe Wanbao’s Facebook post below. 

Wild, Wild Singapore

This is not the first love affair between pythons and coffee shops.

Just a month ago, on 12 April, owners of a vegetarian stall below Block 431 Clementi Avenue 3 received a guest that, well, definitely wasn’t vegetarian.

It was a reticulated python more than a metre long, casually taking a nap behind the stall, according to Lianhe Zaobao. 

The police were immediately alerted, and professionals were engaged to capture and evacuate the snake from the scene.

The Straits Times advises that if a python is found within the built environment and cannot return to its habitat, you should call the ACRES 24-hour wildlife rescue hotline at 9783 7782. 

It also urges that the python not be disturbed, for fear of provocation, and cautions that harm done to wildlife is not permitted under Singapore law.

Fortunately, they are shy creatures and will typically hide away when sighted, posing no danger to humans unless threatened.

Featured Image: Facebook