Escaped crab led to emergency call for snake threat
Snake intrusions are no laughing matter, as they can cause danger to residents involved. When we suspect that a snake has entered our homes, it’s recommended that we turn to the Malaysia Fire and Rescue Department, or bomba, to contain the unwanted intruders.
That’s what this resident in Alor Setar, Kedah, did when they believed a snake had entered their home, causing disturbances in their kitchen. However, after a search of their house, the bomba team only found a giant crab, or ketam nipah, that had escaped.
Bomba discovered escaped crab that was mistaken for a snake
The story was shared by Bomba Alor Setar on their Facebook page on 26th August 2021. According to the post, they received an emergency call for a snake threat. But following an inspection of the resident’s home, located in Alor Janggus, they only discovered a crab that was supposedly “threatening” the home owners.
Image credit: Bomba Alor Setar
As bomba teams usually deal with dangerous matters beyond the public’s control – and rarely situations of the crabby nature – they good-humouredly joked in their caption, “Careful kids, don’t get pinched by crabs”.
To cap off their post, they also said, “Stay safe, everyone. Thanks to the caller for trusting the bomba” and added several playful hashtags to the post too, including #HonourToServe and #MasakLemakKetam.
Image credit: Bomba Alor Setar
The incident was also reported by Harian Metro on 26th August. According to the report, a mud crab was indeed discovered by the Alor Setar Fire and Rescue Department after a thorough search of the house.
The bomba received the call around 10AM, and found the crab after a short inspection – the operation ended just 29 minutes later. During this time, the bomba personnel mainly monitored the kitchen area, as the residents said that objects were rattling behind a dish rack.
What the residents had initially thought to be a snake, however, turned out to be a crab in the end.
Netizens amused by tale of crab mixed up for snake
The story shared by Bomba Alor Setar brought many amused netizens to the comments section.
Several shared their biggest animal fears in hopes that they, too, could call the bomba team for help. This included a Facebook user who joked,”If I’ve got a flying cockroach, do I call the bomba air unit?”
Image credit: Facebook
Others were just impressed by the bomba personnel, such as this netizen, who said, “Abang bomba can really deal with every situation,” while also joking, “[They can] take [the crab] home and make soup.”
Image credit: Facebook
Many also applauded the bomba team for always looking after the public’s safety, but insisted that they should only be reached for real emergency cases. A Facebook user commented, “This isn’t funny. Pity the bomba. They’re rushing to get ready every time an emergency call comes in. But then, in the end, they arrive at the scene only to find such a small matter.”
Image credit: Facebook
Emergency call for snake threat leads to escaped crab discovery
Nobody wants to find an unwanted snake in their home. So we’re glad to hear that these residents in Alor Setar ended up not having one in their home after the bomba personnel found a harmless, wandering crab in its place.
We’re also glad that Malaysians are finding humour in the story. But all jokes aside, we should always be ringing the bomba for emergencies that pose a threat to us, and try not to take up their time with unnecessary calls.
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Cover image adapted from: Bomba Alor Setar