42 snakes bagged in 19 days

The snakes were collected by rescue workers in just a 19-day period, with many of them caught by rescue workers from the Muang Mai branch of the Kusoldharm Foundation, reported the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket).

Of the 42 snakes, 41 were delivered in bags, with one large snake delivered in a cage.

The snakes will be handed over to the Phang Nga Wildlife Nursery Station, the report confirmed.

The decision was made in early 2021 for all snakes caught in Phuket to be taken off-island as a precaution to prevent snakes released into the wild from re-entering populated areas.

Since then, snakes caught in Phuket have been handed over to the Phang Nga Wildlife Nursery Station or the Klong Saeng Wildlife Research Station in Surat Thani.

Following heavy rains across the island this year, many snakes have been caught since October, including a cobra recently caught at a home in Rawai and a large constrictor near the Heroines Monument.

Following the cobra caught in Rawai, Rawai Municipality urged people who find a snake in their home to call the Rawai Municipality Disaster Prevention and Mitigation officers at 076-613800.

Alternatively, people can call the emergency hotlines 199 and 1669.

Also vastly experienced in removing snakes are rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation (076-426301) and the Phuket Ruamjai Foundation (098-7045345), and Vinnie Modell, the “Snake Guy in Phuket” (080-8648092).

Rescuers regularly remind people  that during periods of heavy and prolonged rain, the chance of encountering a snake increases as the rising water forces them to seek refuge on higher ground.

Even when found in homes, snakes tend not to confront humans. They try to hide, but do react when they feel threatened.