“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places” (Roald Dahl)
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I remember the first snake I ever saw in Malaysia; I was standing about 5 feet away from it and the guide was pointing it out to me…
“It’s there”, he said.
“Where?” I replied.
“There! There!” and I could tell my guide was getting increasingly frustrated by apparent blindness to spot the thing that was right in from of me.
The main reason I couldn’t see the snake was not it’s beautiful camouflage but rather that I was looking for the wrong thing. Having been brought on Hollywood films, my eyes were searching for a large and fearsome snake, rearing up from the undergrowth – not the tiny, slender little thing that hung, utterly motionless, like a piece of discarded string draped over a small branch.
It was a small pit viper and, unlike other more accommodating snakes (cobras and the like) they are stubborn little creatures; ambush hunters who lie in wait and refuse to get out of your way as you blunder through the jungle.
This morning I went out to free the geese and almost immediately spotted the snake that lay coiled in my path and it made me realise that I have become much better at spotting snakes than I used to be. What had changed? The first thing that’s changed is the pattern recognition going on in my brain – I know what to look for simply because I’ve seen it before. The other thing that has changed is that I have become accustomed to looking carefully before stepping forward – I try not to step on anything as I don’t like killing animals unnecessarily – even ants! But this closet-buddhist sentimentality has the upside that I’ve now become very aware of what’s going on at the jungle floor beneath me…
So here’s an odd tip for jungle trekking – try not to step on insects in your path, it may save you from a snake bite one day!
….and don’t walk around in flip flops!
Maybe a little longer parang is not such a bad idea after all, it may be more weight to carry, but you can keep your distance from whatever.
Hi Losmandy,
Yes indeed! Also, good to wear a glove on your left hand as this is the more vulnerable one (assuming you are right handed) as the parang give a little distance for the right hand which is, as a result, less likely to get bitten.
…oh, and wear good boots too!
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
I never felt like wearing boots, I’m always in trail-sneakers; that gives really little protection, but I don’t think it’s just a bad idea:
When barefooting, you tend to hit less rocks, chose the more cleared path and pay attention to where you’re putting your feet.
I lived in areas with Cobras and Vipers, and the locals where only paying attention to the vipers, as they are more dificult to spot.
Thanks for updating on this subject, it is an important one to remember that small things can be lethal. Even if they don’t look like the most scary and/or ugly creature.
Bye.
Hi Wawa,
Thanks for the comment and, if you wear sneaker type boots then one option is to add a pair of heavy duty gaiters (basically ankle guards) that will give quite a bit of protection.
The thing about cobras and vipers is that the cobras will get out of your way if they have time to do so (and an escape route)… the vipers don’t. Someone was telling me that the local name for vipers is the bodoh snake (stupid snake) as it is so reluctant to move. However, if I had to choose between being bitten by a viper or a cobra I would much prefer the viper as there is less likelihood of you dying! But, of course, best to avoid getting bitten by either and some protective footwear and ankle cover is going to go a long way to avoiding a bite.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
Well done with the rescue and relocation of the pit viper. It is not normally found in such a place on the ground. I suspect it may have fallen from higher branch during a strong and heavy storm.
By the way, did you managed to get the positive ID of the pit viper?
Hi Dr Khal.
Great to hear from you and thanks for the comment. I’m not sure what viper it was other than green pit viper (Pope’s?) but the photo on the webpage is of that snake so maybe you can tell? He wasn’t very happy with being picked up and stuck in a bucket but I found a nice place for him further from the house.
The silver lining to that incident is that Yvonne (who insists on walking around the garden in flip flops) promptly went out a bought a pair of rubber boots after watching it!
Cheers!
Paul
Dear Paul,
Wishing you and Yvonne a wonderful Christmas and New Year!
Yes, the little green pit viper is probably a Thai Peninsula pit viper, Popeia fucata.
Cheers!
Hi Dr Khal,
Many thanks for clearing up the name of the little viper and wishing you a very Happy New Year and all the best for 2014.
Cheers!
Paul
p.s. Pope’s pit viper, Popeia popeorum is not native to Malaysia, though they all belongs to the arboreal green pit viper group called Trimeresurus complex and can inflict significant local and systemic envenomation. It is probably the pit viper that bit Herman’s thumb on Broga Hill last year
Hi Dr Khal,
Thanks for the info – my guess was a Pope’s pit viper of the vatican genus (!) but I’m not very good at spotting the differences between the various vipers. I went back to look at the picture of the viper that bit Herman and can see the similarity.
Thanks again.
Cheers!
Paul
When I see people walking around the jungle barefoot I cringe. They are braver than I am. There is no way I would and this reinforces my thinking. How many people get bit by these a year? How many die?
Have a good one,
John
Hi John,
Thanks as always for the comment and I completely agree with you about going barefoot – it’s an unnecessary risk to take. Some of the Orang Asal here still go in barefoot and the skin on their feet is tough as leather – however, that isn’t going to stop a snake bite and, if they stand on something sharp it’s going to pierce through regardless. The snake expert friend of mine was telling me how snake bite occurrences on palm oil plantations have gone down significantly since earlier times for the very simple reason that most of the workers now wear rubber boots.
Cheers!
Paul
I just encountered one today there, it literary moved passed my face a meter away, since it was high up and well camouflaged among the green branches I doubt what you wear makes a difference in that case.
Hi Pooya,
Many thanks for the comment and glad you encounter with the snake didn’t end up badly. Actually the vipers I’ve come across seem to only get really aggressive when you get very close indeed – of course if you haven’t seen it and brush it with your hand or face it’s probably going to bite. I think a good pair of gloves can make difference and it’s always a risk when collecting firewood or cutting through the jungle that your hands are going to get bitten by an unseen viper hanging in the branches….certainly most of the vipers I’ve come across have been quite small with correspondingly small mouths (although, admittedly, sharp fangs!) and a stout pair of boots should protect your feet well enough.
Cheers!
Paul