King cobra also alarms Badian town residents
CEBU CITY – Only three days after a king cobra, locally known as ‘banakon,’ was spotted in San Fernando town, southern Cebu, CDN Digital received another report of a sighting.
This time, the sighting of a banakon happened in Badian town, situated in the southwestern part of Cebu Province.
READ: Netizens on cobra spotted in San Fernando, Cebu: ‘Kahadlok!’
King cobra spotted on Dec. 29
John Burton McKee shared with CDN Digital his photo of a recent encounter with this reptile, which, apparently, has been discovered during the afternoon of Friday, December 29.
Banakon spotted in Badian on December 29, 2023.
McKee mentioned that some of his neighbors from Tigbao, Badian, were the first to spot the snake and sent him a picture to assist in identifying the species.
“Gisend na sa ako for identification of king cobra or not…,” Mckee added.
READ MORE: Man successfully fights off snake in Bohol
(That was sent to me for identification of (whether it is) a king cobra or not.)
The banakon, also known as the king cobra, is considered as the largest if not one of the largest venomous snakes on earth. It is capable of reaching lengths of up to 3.6 meters or 12 feet.
The first time a banakon was seen in Cebu this year was in San Fernando town also in southern Cebu last July 8 where netizens posted a sighting of the largest reptile along a mountain trail in the town.
The photo went viral at that time.
READ: Another king cobra alarms residents in San Fernando
King cobra killed by San Fernando residents
Then last December 27, residents of a mountain barangay in San Fernando town showed a photo of a dead king cobra which they killed after residents chanced upon the reptile eating another shake.
Out of fear, the residents killed the snake.
San Fernando is a second-class municipality 40 kilometers south of Cebu City.
As for the Badian town sighting on December 29, the residents also managed to kill the king cobra.
Badian town is a third class municipality of the province of Cebu located 97 kilometers southwest of Cebu City.
READ: Cobra bites: Where to get antivenom treatment when bitten by a venomous snake in Cebu
How to distinguish a king cobra
According to an earlier report, basing data from the Encyclopedia Britanica, a king cobra could be distinguished from other large snakes through the 11 scales on its head.
Yellowish or whitish crossbars or chevrons are found on king cobras and its undersides may display a single color that may or may not be ornamented with bars.
READ: Cobras in the Philippines: What you should know about them
Call experts
Department of Environment and Natural Resources experts can help capture the snake if one will see it in their areas. If caught by these experts then they will be released to their natural habitat.
That is why, residents are encouraged to contact the authorities, who will then send experts to capture the snake alive.
If bitten by the snake, health experts said that the victims should be rushed to the nearest health center or hospital.
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