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1.4-meter king cobra caught inside classroom in Solana elementary school

Philippines | National

1.4-meter king cobra caught inside classroom in Solana elementary school

By Liezle Basa Iñigo

CAGAYAN – Students and teachers inside one classroom in Balao Elementary School in Solana town here had an unwelcome ‘visitor’ on Thursday, Jan. 12.

Guess what, it’s a king cobra!

Photo from DENR via Liezle Inigo

While the students were cleaning, they saw the creature lurking inside a cabinet in the classroom.

The Cagayan Provincial Information Office said that the discovery of the snake was immediately reported to Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) sub-office in Solana which then relayed the message to Jovencio Payba, Development Management Officer III of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Region 2.

Payba and two of his colleagues who are experts in snake management immediately responded and found the king cobra inside the cabinet in the classroom.

The Philippine king cobra is considered to be one of the most venomous snakes in the world, and a single strike from the snake is capable of killing a human in as little as 30 minutes.

Payba said that his colleague who is an expert caught the snake using a snake tong and was immediately put in a sack.

The snake measured 1.4 meters long and has matured.

DENR officials believed the snake possibly came from the rice fields behind the school.

The report said the snake was released in a faraway forested area in Solana.

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