A 13ft-long python sparked panic after it rampaged into the pantry of a police station in Thailand.

The police officers were having coffee in the morning when the snake slithered through the air vent in Chonburi province on December 15.

Shocked officers watched as the huge reptile knocked over some of the food boxes as it made its way under the supply pile.

One of the police officers said: "Some coffee boxes fell down, so I pulled out the boxes and saw the snake coiled up in there."

As the police on duty were inexperienced in handling wildlife, they called the animal rescuers for help.

Reptile specialist Dulyatat Tienchaitat arrived and took only three minutes to catch the snake.

Dulyayat said: "Don't ever catch a snake by yourself. It is better to call us and get a specialist to help you."

The superstitious rescuer added that aside from being good omens, snakes are gentle creatures if you know how to handle them.

He said: "They don't strike unless you appear to hurt them. They are shy animals but they are still wildlife so we need to be careful around them."
The snake was taken by the rescuers to be released later in the wild.