Animal Neighbours Project: SNAKES: Respected not Feared

Sly and sleek,

The reptile slithers through the cracks,

Ready to take away the weak,

Attacks the prey with venomous fangs,

Swallow it as a whole and stay full for a week.

Can you guess which animal is this?
It is the ssssSNAKE!

King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah).

Photo credit: Bo Jonsson / Skansen-Akvariet from iucnredlist.org.

Snakes have been here long before the dinosaurs went extinct and there are currently more than 3,000 species of snakes worldwide. Despite its fearsome reputation, these creatures should be respected more than feared by us.

Dr S. Vellayan (Consultant on Avian and Exotic Wildlife and a former zoo vetenarian) says that:

"They don't really chase their food, they are slow movers."
"In movies, they are often portrayed as vicious animals that attack upon sight. This is not true, as they usually move away or hide when they come into contact with humans."
"They are shy and usually avoid human contact. However, they can turn aggressive if they feel threatened- as with other wild animals"
The public need to be reminded not to disturb snakes in any way, even worse try to catch it or kill it on your own. The venom can be deadly and even if it is not a venomous snake, it can hurt the person as their teeth are long and sharp.

Malaysia is home to around 140 snake species. Less than the 30% of the snakes in Malaysia are venomous (16 land and 21 aquatic venomous snake species). It is important to note that even if the venomous snakes bite you, it is only life-threatening if sufficient venom is injected. It is also recorded that most bites are dry bites (bites by a venomous animal but no venom is released). Snakes deliver dry bites due to their limited venom store and they might not want to waste it on non-food items like humans.

HUMAN-SNAKE CONFLICT MITIGATION

Human-snake conflict represents a big issue in Malaysia. For example, in Negeri Sembilan itself, the state Civil Defence Force (Angkatan Pertahanan Awam-APM) reported that about 40% of the emergency cases they received involved capturing of snakes.

APM personnels captured a Pit Viper that was found roaming in the kitchen area in one of the houses in Bintulu, Malaysia. Photo credit photo: Erika George (Berita Harian news).

The loss and fragmentation of their natural habitat drive the snakes to enter residential areas in search of food and shelter. Besides that, snakes are cold-blooded (ectothermic) animals- meaning that they obtain body heat from the environment and are incapable to control their body temperature internally. So, if the weather is too hot, the snakes will need to find a cooler and shady places such as your humid bathroom. Hence, climate warming will inevitably lead to more human-snake conflicts.

Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN) Malaysia listed the 17 species of snake that are frequently reported by the public:

Reticulated phyton / Ular Sawa (Phyton reticulatus)
Banded Malayan Coral Snake / Ular Pantai Belang (Maticora intestinalis)
Spotted Coral Snake / Ular Pantai Bintik (Calliophis gracilis)
Small-spotted Coral Snake / Ular Pantai Bintik Kecil (Calliophis maculiceps)
Blue Malaysian Coral Snake / Ular Pantai Biru-biru (Maticora bivirgata)
Malayan Krait / Ular Katam Tebu (Bungarus candidus)
Banded Krait / Ular Katam Belang (Bungarus fasciatus)
Red-headed Krait / Ular Katam Kepala Merah (Bungarus flaviceps)
Sumatran Pit Viper / Ular Kapak Sumatera (Trimeresurus sumatranus)
Pope's Pit Viper / Ular Kapak Ekor Merah (Trimeresurus popeiorum)
Wagler's Pit Viper / Ular Kapak Tokong (Tropidolaemuss wagleri)
Mountain Pit Viper / Ular Kapak Gunung (Ovophis monticola convictus)
Malayan Pit Viper / Ular Kapak Bodoh (Calloselasma rhodostoma)
Mangrove Pit Viper / Ular Kapak Bakau (Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus )
Bornean Pit Viper / Ular Kapak Hidung Pipih (Trimeresurus puniceus)
Common Black Cobra / Ular Senduk Asia (Naja naja)
King Cobra / Ular Tedung Selar (Ophiophagus hannah)

There are several ways to prevent snakes from coming to your house. Here's how:

A clean, tidy and well-kept house is a snake-free house. Snakes are carnivorous- they eat rodents, insects and other snakes. By keeping your yard free of dead leaves and preventing your rubbish from accumulating, it can reduce the chance of pest infestation in your house such as by rats and cockroaches, and thus, snakes.
Seal up all the holes! A hot weather and dry seasons might lure the reptiles to come into your cool house for shelter through the cracks and holes. Make sure to inspect your house regularly and repair any cracks, broken windows and holes.

FIRST AID FOR SNAKEBITES: DO'S & DON'TS

DO's

Move to a safe place to prevent the risk of second bite or second victim.
Identify or be able to describe the snake: Remember the snake features (pictures, shape and texture of the scales), in order to identify if the snake is venomous or not. Colours are not very helpful and can be misleading as different growth stage might display different colouration even though they are from the same species and some non-venomous snakes were known to mimic venomous ones.
Try to not panic and don't move- By staying calm and still, it can slow down the rate the venom is spreading in your body. Remember that the snakes are probably not poisonous and the most bites are dry bites.
Go to the nearest hospital with emergency care.

DON'Ts

Do not cut and suck. Yes the scene you watched in the movies are wrong, and could endanger both victim and the sucker.
Do not use alcohol. The alcohol may reduce the pain but may enlarge the local blood vessels and this increase venom absorption.
Do not apply ice or electric shock.

Do's and Don'ts for Snakebites

Patterns of Snakebites Based on the Snake Species

From: https://www.mybis.gov.my/pb/1624

Acknowledgement:
Special thanks to Low Tek Joo from The Habitat Penang Hill and The Habitat Foundation for introducing us to snakes of Malaysia from his talk in Taman Tugu Nursery.

References:
Manual Guidance for Handling Snakes that Cause Conflicts (PERHILITIAN):
http://www.wildlife.gov.my/images/document/penerbitan/GARIS%20PANDUAN%20PENGENDALIAN%20ULAR%20YANG%20MENIMBULKAN%20KONFLIK.pdf

Land Snakes of Medical Significance in Malaysia:

https://www.mybis.gov.my/pb/1624

Do's and Don'ts: