Believe It or Not, More Than 12,000 Snakes Have Been Captured Within 3 Months in Malaysia

Do you know what’s hotter than Scarlett Johansson? El Niño. And how does El Niño impact us? Well, apart from the unbearable heat and dehydration, it sorta invites Scarlett Johansson’s Jungle Book persona, Kaa a.k.a snakes to turn up almost EVERYWHERE.

Statistics from the Malaysia Civil Defence Department (JPAM), shows a staggering amount of 12,006 snakes have been captured from January until March 2016. This is more than double of the amount of snakes captured around the same time last year which only amounted to 5,412 snakes. The Health Ministry also confirmed that 730 snake bite cases involving one death have been reported from January till 26th April this year. This explains the frequent news reporting of snakes in the media lately.

The El Niño seems like a bad omen for schools and housing areas as most cases reported took place in these areas. This is because snakes tend to seek shade in housing areas during the hot season. Not only that, due to the rise of snake related cases in school, the Education Ministry has also issued a circular to all schools on what type of safety precautions they should carry out if faced with such situation involving snakes.

On 19th April, a Year One student from Sekolah Kebangsaan(SK) Datuk Hashim 1 in Kelantan died a day after she was bitten by a snake at her school. A day after the incident, another case was reported when a Year 2 student from SK Chembong, Rembau was bitten by a snake during PJK (Pendidikan Jasmani & Kesihatan) class. She was reported to be in stable condition after receiving medical attention.

Remains of Nuri Nadirah Ruslan being laid to rest at the Muslim Cemetery in Kg. Che Latiff, Kelantan. (Image: Mstar)

It doesn’t end there, on 25th of April, a Form Three student from Sekolah Dato' Abdul Razak (SDAR) in Seremban was bitten by a snake while making his way back to his hostel and most recently, a Year One student from SK Kota Masai 2 in Johor was reportedly bitten by a long green snake on his palm while using the loo. Both of them were reported stable.

Image: Kosmo

So, what could be the reason behind the rise of the snakes? We’ve compiled all the information into one handy infographic:

What would you normally do when confronted with a snake? Panicking and screaming is definitely not the solution. Here are a few precautions you could do when dealing with a snake:

Infographic: JPAM

Do you ever wonder what happens to the snake after it is captured? According to a representative from the Fire and Rescue Department, the snakes will be released back into the wild, far from civilization. They will not be killed as deposing their carcass would create another issue.

What about if you’re bitten by a snake? First of all, we would like to emphasize that DO NOT attempt to remove the poison yourself or sucking it out as it could put the victim at risk or cause the venom to spread to your mouth tissue. Administer these steps instead:

Infographic: JPAM

If you ever encounter a snake or get bitten by one, remember to always stay calm and immediately call the authorities. Contact the Fire and Rescue Department at 999 or JPAM at 03-33710820(Selangor)/03-26871400(KL) or the Wildlife Department at 1800-885-151 (only from 9am-5pm) for further action.