The king cobra spotted in San Fernando, Cebu on December 27, 2023. | Screengrab from Stephen Baringui-an’s Facebook video.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Residents in a mountain barangay in San Fernando town in southern Cebu were alarmed after spotting a king cobra in their vicinity on Wednesday, December 27.
The reptile, locally known as banakon, was found trying to swallow another snake – a python – on the morning of Wednesday, said Stephen Baringui-an, a resident in the area.
Out of fear, Baringui-an said some of his neighbors went out to kill the king cobra.
“First time nako kakita og banakon dinhe sa San Fernando,” Baringui-an said in a video he posted on social media.
(This is the first time that I have seen a banakon here in San Fernando.)
This is not the first time a king cobra was spotted in San Fernando, a second-class municipality located 40 kilometers south of Cebu City.
It can be recalled that last July 8, residents there also spotted a king cobra, photos of which even went viral on the internet.
The king cobra is the largest venomous snake on earth, and it can grow up to 3.6 meters or 12 feet
While it is found only in southern and southeast Asia, including the Philippines, it is uncommon in places like Cebu.
It is also not endemic in the island province.
Based on an entry from Encyclopedia Britannica, King Cobras are distinguishable from other types of snakes by the presence of 11 large scales on their crown or head.
The king cobras also have ‘yellowish or whitish crossbars or chevrons, and the underside may display a single color that may or may not be ornamented with bars.’
What to do
When spotting venomous snakes like king cobras, authorities urged the public to immediately seek their help to capture these reptiles.
Experts from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will then release the snake to its natural habitat.
In case an individual gets bitten by snakes or other animals, both wild and domesticated, health experts advised to bring them to the nearest health center.
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