Woman reports snake, upset by NParks' response

A woman has expressed frustration with the response she received from the National Parks Board (NParks) after reporting a snake spotted outside her neighbour's home.

In a Facebook post shared on Sunday (Nov 1), Vivien Goh recounted calling NParks after encountering the snake at her apartment lobby.

She said the staff member who answered the hotline repeatedly asked her to take a photograph of the animal and send it over WhatsApp.

However, Goh said she did not have WhatsApp on the phone she was carrying at the time.

"There is something very wrong with the person manning the NParks hotline today," she wrote.

She added that she had explained her situation but was still asked to send the photograph four times.

"I can't go back in because there is a snake at my apartment lobby, can you please just send someone over!" she recounted telling the staff member.

Goh later shared photographs of the snake, which she said she had taken from behind a glass door while it was on the steps outside her neighbour's home.

She added in the comments that she had earlier jumped over the snake, which moved "really fast".

Goh questions how the snake would be monitored

In an update in the comments, Goh claimed that she called NParks again and was told that the animal would be monitored.

She questioned how this would be done if nobody was physically present to remove the snake.

"So the update is, when I called in again, is that they will 'monitor' it. How are they monitoring it when no one is here to take the snake away?!" she wrote.

The incident prompted some commenters to suggest that she contact the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), which also operates a wildlife rescue hotline.

Others felt that the snake should be left alone to slither away, particularly if it was small and not posing an immediate threat.

One commenter suggested that NParks and ACRES also had to consider the safety of the animal, adding that members of the public could consider contacting a pest controller depending on the situation.

Another commenter offered a more sympathetic view of NParks' request for photographs, suggesting that the agency could have wanted to verify the sighting before dispatching someone.

Snake eventually caught by handler

Goh subsequently shared a second update, expressing relief after a snake handler arrived and picked up the animal.

She described watching as the handler calmly picked up the snake and placed it gently into a plastic container.

Goh said she was initially surprised by how small the snake appeared, as she had estimated it to be about 1.2m long when she first spotted it.

The handler reportedly told her that she might have overestimated its size because she had zoomed in on the photograph.

AsiaOne has contacted Vivien Goh and NParks for more information.

asyiqin.nadzri@asiaone.com

一名女子对国家公园管理局（NParks）的回应表示不满，此前她报告称在邻居家外发现了一条蛇。

Vivien Goh 在周日（11 月 1 日）分享的一篇 Facebook 帖子中讲述了她在公寓大厅遇到蛇后致电国家公园局的经历。

她说，接听热线的工作人员反复要求她给动物拍照并通过 WhatsApp 发送。

然而，吴女士表示，她当时携带的手机上并没有Wha​​tsApp。

她写道：“今天接听国家公园热线电话的人肯定有问题。”

她补充说，她已经解释了自己的情况，但对方还是要求她发送照片四次。

“我不能回去，因为我的公寓大厅里有一条蛇，请你们派人过来一下好吗！”她回忆起当时对工作人员说的话。

后来，吴女士分享了这条蛇的照片，她说这些照片是她隔着玻璃门拍摄的，当时这条蛇正趴在她邻居家门外的台阶上。

她在评论中补充说，她之前跳过了那条蛇，那条蛇移动得“非常快”。

吴先生质疑如何监测这条蛇。

在评论区的更新中，吴女士声称她再次致电国家公园局，被告知将对该动物进行监测。

她质疑，如果没有人在场实际移走蛇，该如何做到这一点。

“我再次打电话询问后，得到的最新消息是他们会‘监控’此事。可是没人来把蛇带走，他们怎么监控呢？！”她写道。

该事件促使一些评论者建议她联系动物关注研究和教育协会（ACRES），该协会也运营着一条野生动物救援热线。

另一些人则认为应该让蛇自行游走，特别是如果它体型较小且不会构成直接威胁的话。

一位评论者建议，国家公园局和ACRES也必须考虑动物的安全，并补充说，公众可以根据具体情况考虑联系害虫防治人员。

另一位评论者对国家公园局要求提供照片的做法表示了更同情的看法，认为该机构可能想在派人前往之前核实目击事件。

最终，驯蛇人抓住了这条蛇。

随后，吴先生分享了第二条最新消息，表示在一名驯蛇人赶到并将蛇带走后，他松了一口气。

她描述说，她看到驯蛇人平静地拿起蛇，轻轻地把它放进一个塑料容器里。

吴女士说，她最初看到这条蛇时，对它看起来如此之小感到惊讶，因为她估计它大约有 1.2 米长。

据报道，驯兽员告诉她，她可能高估了它的大小，因为她放大了照片。

AsiaOne已联系Vivien Goh和国家公园局以获取更多信息。

asyiqin.nadzri@asiaone.com