Benin: A large snake sighted in Agla prompts action from forestry services and the police.

The forestry services from the Directorate of Water, Forests, and Hunting and the Republican Police of Cotonou conducted a field visit in the Agla neighborhood, Cotonou municipality, on Saturday, May 30, after a resident filmed a large snake there on Wednesday, May 27. The animal was spotted in the area after the Agla Show restaurant, heading towards the Vice Squad. Its presence had not yet been confirmed by agents at the time of publication, and the animal was not captured.

The joint mission was led by Chief Warrant Officer Fanou Tognissou, Deputy Forestry Officer of Cotonou, Sergeant Major Allognon Olivier, Deputy Station Chief of Cotonou II, and Commissioner Kouyami Parfait. The agents collected testimonies from local residents and identified the area where the animal was reportedly seen.

Two days before the field visit, residents had submitted a collective alert note to local authorities, including the Littoral Prefect, Mayor, District Chief, police station, and firefighters’ group. The text described a “widespread panic” since the appearance of the reptile: “Its presence spreads panic and trauma among the population, especially among children and the elderly. Several households no longer dare to go out in the evening.”

Instructions and Aftermath of the Intervention

At the end of the field visit, the agents recommended that residents not approach the animal, not attempt to capture it, and immediately alert the relevant services in case of a new sighting. They noted that wildlife specialists would be mobilized to guide the actions to be taken if the presence of the animal is confirmed.

The species of the reptile has not been determined, although some sources mention a Seba’s python. Benin is home to several species of large non-venomous snakes, including the Seba’s python (Python sebae), the largest snake in sub-Saharan Africa, capable of exceeding five meters, which frequents peri-urban areas and waterways. The presence of such a reptile in a densely populated neighborhood of Cotonou is unusual but documented: in October 2022, a python had already been captured in the neighboring Fidjrossè neighborhood by forestry services.

Agla is a district of Cotonou located in the northwestern part of the city, a few kilometers from the business district and is densely populated. The neighborhood is crossed by several canals and remnants of wetlands, which may attract large aquatic or semi-aquatic species.

The forestry services and security forces indicated they were monitoring the situation “closely.” The animal had not been located or captured at the time of publication.