Venomous Viper Spotted Near Bukit Panjang Fitness Corner, Public Advised To Be Cautious

Venomous Viper Spotted On Metal Sign At Fitness Corner In Bukit Panjang

The mere sight of a snake in one of our public spaces would be enough to strike fear in most people’s hearts.

Now imagine if it was a venomous snake in an area frequented by children.

Recently, a man came across a small green snake near a fitness corner in Bukit Panjang where his child was playing.

After sharing the sighting on Facebook, he learnt that the snake was a venomous viper.

Venomous viper spotted in Bukit Panjang where child was playing

Last Saturday (20 Jan), Facebook user Jonathon took to the Singapore Wildlife Sightings group to share about the snake he saw at a fitness corner.

He had chanced upon a green serpent resting on a metal sign beside a fitness corner at an HDB estate in Senja, in Bukit Panjang.

The green snake has a diamond-shaped head with a red line running along its sides. It also has red and yellow spots running across its emerald body.

Jonathon, who was with his child at the time, expressed his relief at spotting the reptile before his child got too close to it.

However, he wasn’t able to identify the snake and decided to seek help from other Facebook users.

Snake identified as Wagler’s pit viper

It didn’t take long for netizens to identify the snake, which they said was a Wagler’s pit viper.

Despite not being considered aggressive, the Wiki.nus claims that the Wagler’s pit viper packs a haemotoxic venom that may cause bitten victims severe pain and swelling.

According to the NParks, the snake’s habitat is restricted to the following locations:

• Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
• Central Catchment Nature Reserve
• Pulau Tekong

Coincidentally, the fitness corner’s location isn’t too far away from the western edge of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

NParks advise members of the public to keep a distance when they encounter snakes and to never attempt to handle the reptile.

MS News has reached out to Jonathon for more information about the encounter.

Also read: Baby Cobra Allegedly Seen At Sembawang Playground, Concerns Arise For Children Playing There

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Featured image adapted from Facebook.