The rescued python. Telegraph picture

Jajpur, May 27: Local residents of a remote village here rescued an 11-feet python and handed it over to the forest officials.

Residents of Raighati rescued the python that had strayed into their village. The reptile was believed to have strayed from the nearby Tomka forest under Cuttack forest division. A youth of the village, who had gone for a morning walk, first spotted the python.

“While I was on a morning walk, I suddenly came across the python near our village. I immediately alerted my fellow villagers and we all managed to snare it without causing any harm. Then we informed the forest officials to take it from us,” said Siba Prasad Purty of Raighati village.

On being informed, the forest officials rushed to the village to take custody of the snake last evening.

“The villagers did a very noble work by handing over the python to us without causing any harm. Instead of being panicky and trying to kill the reptile, they managed to catch the python and kept it at their village. Later, they handed over the snake to us in a healthy condition,” said Dibakar Panda, range officer of Tomka forest range.

“For such work, the villagers deserve to be awarded by the government to set an example for others,” he said, adding that python was an endangered species protected under schedule-1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

The rescued python was about one-and-a-half years and weighed more than 45kg, forest officials said.

The reptile was released at the nearby forest in the presence of forest officials, wildlife activists and local residents last night.