Two reticulated pythons, known locally as “sawa,” and a yellow-headed water monitor, known locally as “bayawak,” were found at a warehouse of a multipurpose cooperative in Barangay Dajay, Surallah, South Cotabato.

According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Office-SOCCSKSARGEN (DENR-12), the workers of the multipurpose cooperative found the reptiles while they were cleaning their warehouse.

They then turned over the two “sawa” and the “bayawak” to the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO)-Banga on Monday, January 13, 2025.

DENR-12 said the two snakes both weighed 8.5 kilos and are 3.3 meters long. The “bayawak,” on the other hand, weighed 2.5 kilos and one meter long.

The reptiles will be turned over to the Regional Wildlife Rescue Center (RWRC) in Sultan Kudarat.

“Reticulated Phyton (Malayopython reticulatus) species of giant constricting snake belonging to the python family, Pythonidae, and known for being the longest-living snake in the world. The yellow-headed water monitor (Varamus cumingi) is a large species of monitor lizard in the family Varanidae that has distinctive yellow markings on its head, contrasting with dark, sleek bodies,” DENR-12 said.

“The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) classifies the two reptiles reticulated python and the yellow-headed water monitor as a species of least concern,” DENR-12 added.