This made my day: Man braves rain to warn passers-by of snake in Bukit Panjang

Not all heroes wear capes — this one likely wore a soaked outfit by the time his act of kindness was complete.

A man was spotted on a walkway along Bukit Panjang Ring Road, warning passers-by of a wild snake that he had trapped under a rubbish bin lid on a rainy Friday (Feb 10) night, Shin Min Daily News reported.

"I was on my way home with 10-year-old daughter and helper, and I wasn't paying much attention at the time," a 38-year-old woman surnamed Feng, told the evening daily. 

"The uncle stood about one or two metres away from the snake and warned us not to go near it. He also reminded us to be careful and not disturb the reptile."

She had initially thought the man was a trained professional, but later found out that he was just a good Samaritan who braved the weather to warn others about the snake.

"He used rubbish bins and plastic bags to trap the snake and had been standing in the rain for nearly an hour to prevent anyone from getting near it," Feng said.

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In photos she shared with the Chinese daily, the snake appeared to be white, and measuring about half a metre.

The woman also discovered that the reason the uncle stood guard — he wasn't sure who to contact to capture the snake, so he stayed in the spot to warn others about it instead.

She helped to contact Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) and led the uncle to a nearby HDB block to take refuge from the rain.

Five minutes later, Acres arrived and caught the snake. The uncle left soon after.

Added Feng: "My daughter is only 10 years old. If there was no warning from him, she could've run around and startled the snake — consequences could've been disastrous."

AsiaOne has reached out to Acres for more information.

Don't take matters into your own hands

In a separate incident in October last year, a man shared on Facebook how he had quite literally taken matters into his own hands.

The man, Matthew Lee, wrangled a "wild and angry" equatorial spitting cobra with his bare hands when it popped up at a golf course in Mandai.

Later, representatives from the the National Parks Board (NParks) arrived and expressed confusion at how he had subdued the snake on his own without any equipment.

A self-proclaimed "reptile fanatic" since young, Lee advised members of the public to not mess with snakes if they encounter one in the garden or park and that he had only picked up that snake as that pathway was a busy one frequented by kids.

NParks' advisory tells the public to observe snakes from a safe distance, calm down and slowly back away to give it space to retreat. Leave it alone if it is in its natural habitat, and do not approach or attempt to handle them as they might attack when disturbed or provoked.

For assistance, call NParks at 1800-476-1600.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com