A 3.5-meter python made a surprise appearance at the Graha Prima Sentosa housing complex in Kaliabang, Bekasi, West Java, purportedly after getting carried there by floodwaters on Sunday. The wild animal bit a homeowner who was trying to catch it.

The homeowner, Maman, 35, first noticed the snake in the kitchen of his house on Sunday morning as surrounding floodwaters were receding after heavy rainfall in the area.

With help from neighbors, it took Maman five minutes to capture the snake, but not before it bit him on his right arm.

“My husband caught the snake barehanded. He was helped by my father-in-law, Pak Minas, and Pak Rosyid. We panicked when we discovered a big snake in our house,” Wati, Maman’s wife, told kompas.com on Monday.

The snake, which they put into a cat’s cage, is to be sold to raise money for Maman’s medical treatment. 

“The wound is one centimeter deep. [Maman] got six stitches because of the bite,” Minas said. (fac)