Visitors in a park in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province were stunned to witness a Burmese python swimming in a lake on July 18, before it returned to shore, where its owner lifted it out of the water and cleaned it with a cloth.

The python, weighing about 20 kilograms, was apparently quite calm around people, even allowing some visitors to drape it around their necks.

The owner then attempted to put the python back into the water but the snake got agitated, apparently due to not liking the cold water. The owner explained that, because of a recent heat wave, he regularly took his pet Burmese python to the lake to enjoy the cool water.

Experts have pointed out that it is a national-level protected animal and that owners must get approval from authorities to own one.

Although these pythons are not poisonous and do not attack people unwarranted, they should not be taken to public places as their sheer length and bulk can make them dangerous, experts say.

longhoo.net