Featured image courtesy of Abhi and from Google Maps.
A West Coast resident was walking his dog when he stumbled upon a venomous spitting cobra, just metres away from a local school.
42-year-old Abhi told MS News that he was walking his dog, Nita, at around 10am on 20 Sept when he suddenly spotted the snake.
Near the intersection of West Coast Road and West Coast Crescent, the Sumatran spitting cobra had slithered onto the grass, just two to three metres away from Abhi and his dog.
Image courtesy of Abhi
The black cobra had reared up and flared its hood.
Abhi described it as staying very still while facing him. The dog owner initially stopped moving and stayed quiet to avoid disturbing the cobra.
“Luckily, [Nita] didn’t notice the snake,” he added.
Image courtesy of Abhi
He snapped one photo before leaving, explaining that he didn’t have the presence of mind to capture more footage given how close the venomous snake had been.
Abhi told MS News that the cobra was very close to the Waseda Shibuya Senior High School on West Coast Road.
Source: Google Maps
He said that it was just a width of a canal — a few metres — away from the car park area of the school.
As such, he felt concerned about the proximity of the snake to the school, as well as the nearby condominiums.
Abhi’s wife, Ms Aliz, posted the sighting to the Singapore Wildlife Sightings Facebook group on 20 Sept, where it gained over 1,700 likes.
Source: Aliz KT on Facebook
She asked if they should report the cobra encounter due to its proximity to the school.
Source: Aliz KT on Facebook
Abhi told MS News that he had tried contacting the National Environment Agency (NEA), but the call failed to connect.
MS News has reached out to NParks for their comments on the sighting and concerns.
The Sumatran spitting cobra, also known as the black or Equatorial spitting cobra, is a highly venomous snake.
It’s the most commonly spotted venomous snake in estates due to its smaller size and taste for rats.
Image courtesy of Dr Seow-Choen
However, the spitting cobra rarely strikes unless directly disturbed. Members of the public should refrain from approaching them.
The spitting cobra can also spit venom at range, but a snake expert told MS News that Singapore’s variants have poor range and accuracy.
Learn more about five of the most venomous snakes in Singapore here.
Also read: 5 of the most venomous snakes in S’pore & should you be scared of them?
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Featured image courtesy of Abhi and from Google Maps.