Another king cobra was killed by a farmer Saturday, June 12, in Tulunan town in North Cotabato, raising fears about the presence of more of its kind in the area.
A photo of the cobra, which is estimated to be at least 10-feet long, went viral after it was posted by netizen Chokoy Saban.
A check among residents reveals the latest king cobra killed, locally known as “Banakon” was one of the many cobras that were caught and slaughtered the last two years within their community.
A few days before the latest catch, a farmer died of an apparent snakebite, allegedly from a banakon, in Banga, Cotabato.
“Ang naturang mga king cobra ay napatay habang gumagala sa mga sakahan at sa mga kalye na di naman pangkaraniwan noong mga nakalipas na maraming taon (Those king cobras were killed while wandering farms and streets which is unusual the last couple of years.),” as posted by DXND Radyo Bida’s Facebook page.
“Ilang residente ng nga North Cotabato, kasama na ang isang bata, ang nasawi pagkatapos matuklaw ng King Cobra sa magkakahiwalay na insidente nitong nakalipas na dalawang taon. (A number of residents, including a child were killed after being bitten by a king cobra in separate incidents the last two years.),” added the FB post of DXND.
A mature king cobra reportedly can grow up to 18 feet long and its venom is powerful enough to kill an elephant.
Meantime, experts in Cotabato believe the presence of cobras outside of their comfort zones could be a sign that these reptiles are finding it hard to search for food within their natural habitat.