Singapore Expats

Hi,

We had some unpleasant visitors in our garden last few days. Black jumpy snakes, possibly cobras.

So far they have been on and under our patio only, but is it common they enter houses too?

What can be done to keep this under control? I have heard of sulphur, is is efficient? Is is safe with kids? Will a dog keep them out? We have three small kids so we are very keen on sorting this in best possible manner.

We do live close to a junglish area so it is resonable to assume the problem will never go away, but there must be ways to keep it under control.

In case of a snake bite, is it survivable? Stories say you get as little as 30 seconds to live depending on species, but is that just scary tales?

Would be great with some help on this matter.

On the scare stories on survival of a bite, 30 secs is slightly overkill (pardon the pun...)

It would take hours from an untreated bite from any cobra.

The rest I am not really sure. If you are in doubt call the Singapore Zoo, they have heaps of info that could be beneficial.

Rumour has it, if bitten take yourself to the Zoo as they hold the anti-venom which the hospitals order.

IF i were you. I will call Singapore Zoo and get this thing sorted out. Please dont wait.

Local hospitals should have their own stock of anti-venom, so no need to haul yourself down to the Zoo in the event of a bite.

The "black snakes" are likely to be black-spitting cobras which are very common here in Singapore. They aim and spit venom up to 2m at the attackers' eyes. If venom gets into the eyes, rinse with clean water immediately, and there shouldn't be any long term damage, although there may be temporary blindness or blurred vision. Do not rub the eyes or risk getting the cornea permanently damaged.

Whenever bitten by a snake, always identify, or if possible, kill the snake and bring it with you to the hospital. Doctors need to know which species of snake bit you to be able to administer the correct anti-venom. Anti-venom is snake-specific, so it is important to know what bit you.

The most lethal land snakes in Singapore are King Cobra and Blue Coral Snake, both extremely rare and are found only in dense jungles. If bitten, seek treatment immediately as death may occur within 15mins to half-an-hour, even faster if children are bitten. King Cobras can inject enough venom in one bite to kill an adult elephant.

Sulphur is an old wives' tale and has very little affect on snakes. Dogs will get bitten by snakes as well, as snakes bite to defend themselves against any attacker.

Best solution is to engage a pest control company and request for them to set baited traps around your house to capture the snakes.

Never leave young children unsupervised especially in the garden. Snakes will look for ANY dark location to hide, be it in the house or outside.

Snakes will only bite as a last resort, so if you give them space to escape, they will always choose to slither away. Snakes can be great pest-controllers, if you can learn to live with them.

why not inform police/safety dept and get snake cauight