Sompob has been catching snakes in Bangkok and Ayutthaya for over 30 years – normally he deals with about 40 to 50 cases a month but with flooding the number has gone up to 10 cases a day. He can’t make it to every case right now though, as floods have blocked so many roads and he doesn’t own a boat.
“I had to tell many callers ‘Sorry, but you’re going to have to call someone else who has a boat’,” said Sompob. “But if they would just coordinate a pickup point for me, I’d be more than willing to go in.”
Sompob does his snake-catching purely on a volunteer basis and makes no money from it. “It’s tough when you’re on a civil servant’s salary but the reason I do this is because I enjoy helping people,” he said.
Some snake facts from the article:
– 90 percent of call Sompob receives for help involve reticulated pythons. The next most frequent are cobras and pit vipers. There are 17 species normally found in Bangkok.
– Early winter (right now) is the beginning of most snakes’ mating season, when they are usually more aggressive.
– Seal holes under your house to prevent snakes form entering. Spray pungent oil like paraffin to stop their sense of smell and reduce trash that could attract rodents.
– If you come across a snake, remain calm and don’t move rapidly as they’re attracted to motion.
– If bitten, try to get a good look at the snake so you can describe it to medics and they can administer the correct antivenin.
– If in the grips of a constrictor, don’t try to pull it off. Stab it with something sharp.
– To differentiate between poisonous and non-poisonous bites: One or two holes are usually from a poisonous snake, while rows of multiple holes are usually non-poisonous.
– Four hospitals in Bangkok carry antivenin: Siriraj and Somdej Prapinklao in Bangkok Noi, Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital in Sai Mai, and Chulalongkorn near Silom.
– For snake removal, call Sompob on 089 043 8445, or contact local firefighters, the National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation Department Hotline 1362 or City Hall’s firefighting hotline 199.
