A man in Singapore recently had the rare honour of encountering a red-tailed pipe snake in the wild.
Image courtesy of John Lee
John Lee, a wildlife expert and founder of Wildlife Asia Singapore, told MS News that he made the discovery on Friday (30 May) at about 9.40pm.
He had entered the forest that night in search of snakes and other wildlife as part of his ongoing studies and documentation.
As he scanned the ground, something that looked like a curled stick caught his attention.
But when he came nearer, the ‘stick’ began to reveal brilliant colours, its scales glowing with a rainbow-like iridescence.
Source: John Lee on Facebook
The snake turned out to be Cylindrophis ruffus, commonly known as the red-tailed pipe snake.
A native and nocturnal species, it is listed as “Critically Endangered” in Singapore by the National Parks Board (NParks).
“I was flabbergasted and in total surprise to ever stumble across such a rare and critically endangered snake,” Mr Lee said.
Remarkably, the snake remained calm and coiled as Mr Lee filmed it.
Image courtesy of John Lee
He noted that most snake species would have slithered away upon detecting human presence — but not this one.
Calling it an “amazing feeling”, Mr Lee said he felt fortunate to spot such a “gorgeous and beautiful snake” during one of his routine wildlife searches.
To safeguard the rare species, Mr Lee declined to disclose the exact location of the sighting, explaining that he is “very, very passionate about the welfare and safety of wildlife in Singapore”.
He expressed concern that if the location were made public, large groups of photographers might flock to the area, resulting in the destruction and degradation of the forest.
“To me, preserving the natural state of biodiversity of the forest is what matters most,” he added.
The sighting, which Mr Lee posted in the Singapore Wildlife Sightings Facebook group, drew awe from fellow animal lovers, many of whom were captivated by the snake’s striking appearance.
Source: Facebook
One netizen asked if the snake was venomous, pointing out that snakes with such vivid colours often use them as a defence mechanism to warn off predators.
Source: Facebook
Mr Lee replied that the red-tailed pipe snake is not venomous, prompting the commenter to describe it as a “harmless beauty”.
Also read: 16-year-old student captures clear photo of critically endangered snake in S’pore’s nature reserve
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Featured image adapted from John Lee on Facebook and courtesy of John Lee.