Wildlife authorities in the Philippines were called to handle two notably different wildlife cases in Bulacan.
Here's what to know
According to the Philippine Star, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources office in Central Luzon had to investigate after a reticulated python in Baliwag City attacked a resident's pet lovebirds.
Elsewhere, in Barangay Gabihan, San Ildefonso, a villager found a scops owl in need of assistance.
Residents reported both sightings to the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office in Baliwag, prompting Community Environment and Natural Resources Office chief Dennis Vergara to send a wildlife enforcement team.
According to Vergara, the recovered python was a juvenile measuring 2.6 feet long and weighing 26.5 ounces (750 grams). Officials later released it in Biak-Na-Bato National Park.
The owl was handled differently. Instead of returning it directly to the wild, rescuers brought it to the Biodiversity Management Bureau-Wildlife Rescue Center in Quezon City for care and rehabilitation.
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What's being done?
DENR-Central Luzon executive director Ralph Pablo used the incidents to remind people of the agency's guidance.
Residents were advised not to capture, injure, or keep wildlife, and to promptly report any sighting or possession to the nearest DENR office or other proper authorities.
"Prompt reporting allows trained personnel to safely rescue, assess and return wild animals to their natural habitats, while ensuring the safety of the public and the wildlife," Pablo explained.
Where can I learn more?
Cases like those in Bulacan happen elsewhere too, with wildlife rescuers often called when animals turn up in neighborhoods or need urgent care.
• At Raven Ridge Wildlife Center in Pennsylvania, rescuers handled a boa found slithering in local streets before it harmed anyone.
• In Britain, the RSPCA freed an endangered snake caught in garden netting before it died.
• Residents reported troubling encounters with typically harmless city wildlife as crows began attacking people.
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