Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey guys... i'm planning to catch a snake known locally as banakon here in the philippines.

what would you advice is the best way to catch it? it's extremely venomous and aggressive.

reports have been said that 1 bite can cause you your life within seconds. i have no pics but they say its an all-black snake and a large one too. some people say it's a king cobra but i'd like to see that for myself.

i'd be doing my people a favor if i manage to catch one alive for scientific studies. thanks

If you have to ask advice on how to catch a venomous snake, you should leave the catching to someone else. Otherwise, you'll end up on one of those Darwin Award e-mails.

Bill
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It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.

>>what would you advice is the best way to catch it? it's extremely venomous and aggressive.
>>
>>reports have been said that 1 bite can cause you your life within seconds. i have no pics but they say its an all-black snake and a large one too. some people say it's a king cobra but i'd like to see that for myself.
>>
>>i'd be doing my people a favor if i manage to catch one alive for scientific studies. thanks

First of all, the snake fauna of the phillipines is pretty well studied, but I guess it could be something that isn't known very well.

However, all over SE Asia and the Pacific one of the common old wive's tails is about "12 step snakes" and "snakes that kill you in less than a minute". And they are always said to be very aggressive. This simply isn't true.

Many times these "super deadly snakes" are tracked down, they turn out to be completely harmless (if they exist at all)! There are venomous snakes in the Phillipines, but they aren't any more dangerous than venomous snakes in other countries.

And lastly, as the other respondant pointed out, if you don't know what you are doing, don't mess with it. It may be that this is a dangerously venomous snake. You obviously don't have the experience to catch it safely or you wouldn't have to ask.

Why not just try and get a picture of it without handling it?
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

I was just wondering something, I've been keeping venomous herps for years and years and to prove it I have a picture below(Ceylonese palm viper, T.trigonocephalus) and more to come. Now on to the question, why do you say, "if you have to ask advice then don't do it at all"? When I was younger I asked ALL the advice I could ask to breeders,zoo keepers,locals that specialize in venomous herps and they gave me ALL the information that I needed to know... No one ever said to not ask advice or quit while your ahead to me. They did tell me to read and research untill my hands fell off but never not to ask advice, I find that kind of wrong to say to someone not to ask for advice in some odd way.

I was lurking these forums for awhile on a friends internet and then when I got everything established for myself I made an account and started posting. In that time I know well enough that you are intelligent and always willing to answer questions (that is when I see you post). So why do you say that?

I am not implying he shouldn't ask for advice. In fact, I am giving him advice. My advice is that someone who is inexperienced shouldn't try to tackle a possibly dangerous snake.

The way the question was asked implied a lack of experience. I wouldn't want to encourage someone to take on this task without some experience dealing with venomous reptiles.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

Oh ok figured you would say that, Now I understand better. Just was curious, thanks chris.

that's just it.

all i have to go on is hearsay. all the peop[le fear it. and it's true i haven't much experience in capturing venomous snakes.

the luckiest break i got so far is seeing a dead one. that is because our government pays 10,000.00 Php if you kill one and bring it as proof.

some say it's possible to catch it with a strong net. would would you say?

but i do have some. i have captured cobras in rice fields with nothing more than a long enough stick and a rice sack.

haven't been bitten though.

Vip made a good point. I've asked many questions, and I don't want to discourage anyone else from asking. If I seemed too dismissive, I apologize. At the same time, I was thrown by how little you seemed to know about the animal that you seek. I thought you seemed a little too glib about the whole thing, and people who act before knowing don't always fare well.

You mentioned the possible value of a live specimen for scientific study. Have you already identified the folks who'll be doing the study? Do they know that you hope to bring them a live animal? If not, I'd again advise against capturing any animal until the researchers are ready to deal with them. I'd also suggest that these researchers should be able to give you good advice on identification. Your description of a large, all-black snake sounded vague as if you don't know what you're trying to find. I have two master's degrees, and although I've never dealt with research that asked for help from the public, I know that I'd be certain to have plenty of information to provide anyone who wanted to help me. If your researchers can't help you this way, I'd question whether they're good enough to justify your making an effort to help them.

Beyond that advice on dealing with people doing research, I can't help you. I wish you well in your pursuit, but I urge extreme care before acting without sufficient background information.

Bill
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It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.

The debate on wether or not you should even attempt it aside, the best thing for you to do is to use a stick. A snake stick with a pincher at one, a noose, or just a fork for pinning it down. Which ever will depend on personal taste. Pratice catching nonvenomous snakes, fear and inexperience will be your undoing. Avoid handling the snake at all. There is no guaranteed safe way to handle a venomous snake, even the most experienced get hit once an while, the best practice is to avoid it altogether. A pit viper with it's retractable fangs are able to move them like fingers and you will find that having a hold of ones head doesn't guarantee your safety. Good luck! lets us know if you live!