TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan -- The Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources Cagayan Valley confirmed a snake they caught Tuesday inside a cabinet in a classroom at General Balao Elementary School here was a deadly king cobra.
Jovencio Payba, DENR-Cagayan Valley development management officer, said they responded to the report from the natural resources and environment sub-office in Solana on the presence of the snake in the school.
The snake measured about 1.4 meters long.
The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is a venomous elapid snake species, endemic to South Asia and Southeast Asia.
A teacher spotted the snake inside the cabinet while cleaning the classroom, prompting her to ask her fellow teachers to call the environment agency.
Payba and two co-workers responded.
They brought out the cabinet, opened it, used a tong to catch the snake and put it inside a sack.
The DENR workers noted snakes do not bite if they are not disturbed, saying they only become dangerous when disturbed or touched.
The snake was later released in the forests of Solana town back to its normal environment.
"Collection of
such an endemic species is illegal, so snake enthusiasts are asked not to
collect it," Payba said.
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