These pupils in an Indonesian middle school spent the day playing with pythons as part of a conservation push by reptile enthusiasts.

Footage filmed at a state school in Palembang, Sumatra, shows teenagers holding snakes of all shapes and sizes with smiles on their faces.

The initiative was launched by the South Sumatra Reptile Community to raise awareness of the disappearance of pythons in the region caused by the expansion of urban areas.

Bardiansyah, the Chairman of the Community seen speaking in this video, says the Sumatran python was previously seen as helpful by farmers as it chased vermin.

He adds:

for some people, snakes are dangerous animals and must be destroyed but it turns out a number of pythons become a bone of contention for Palembang's state junior high school students, South Sumatra. Indonesia to be a playmate. although some were shrouded in fear but after holding this snake came the desire again to hold a snake that has this slippery and soft body. the students were so enthusiastic about seeing snakes directly, because all this time they only saw snakes from textbooks. Well, this is the activity of the South Sumatran reptile community that goes around schools carrying pythons, especially Sumatran pythons. chairman of the South Sumatra reptile community, Bardiansyah said every creature created by God must have benefits. This Sumatran python became a friend of the farmers to repel rat pests. but now the number is getting smaller as the farmland decreases causing many pythons to be destroyed. in addition to campaigning for conservation of the Sumatran python, this community teaches students how to deal with snakes by seeing the actions of snake horns, as well as first aid if pegged by snakes. a number of students and teachers enthusiastically participated in this activity. the reptile community that has been established for the past two years is committed to preserving the Sumatran snake from extinction.
(Pardiansyah / chairman of the South Sumatra reptile community)
"We here want to socialize and educate school schools with the aim of introducing reptiles, not all of them are very enthusiastic about wanting to know what animals are included in reptiles and th