The last time I checked Singapore Seen (STOMP) at 23:00 h on 8 June 2007, a post titled "I killed a snake - in my 8th floor HDB flat" is top in the "Most Commented" category with 91 comments and is second best in the "Most Viewed" category with 5,766 views.
The snake in question is the non-venomous snake, Striped Keelback (Xenochrophis vittatus). This native of Indonesia (Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi) is probably introduced to Singapore as a pet snake, and has become a fairly common inhabitant of open grasslands here (Lim & Lim, 1992). As this is not an arboreal (tree-dwelling) species, I suspect that the reason why the snake was found at such a high level of a building is because it escaped or was released after being kept as a pet.
Comments on the kill are interestingly divided into two groups. One group applauded the destruction of a potentially-dangerous monster. Another group condemned the killing as mindless, cruel and barbaric.
This debate just shows, again, the importance of being able to identify a snake. One of my previous post recommended some good guide books anyone can use to pick up this essential (for you and the snake) skill. Correct identification can help humans tell whether a snake is a friend or a foe, and eventually allows us to make better decisions during an encounter with a snake.
If the situation is not life-threatening, give the pest control guys or the policemen a call (999). These people have the knowledge and equipment to deal with the situation, safely for you and (hopefully) the snake. At the LAST resort, give the snake a quick death by clubbing it on the head. After that, contact me or the Raffles Museum of Bodiversity Research (RMBR) so that we can keep the body for scientific research that is otherwise wasted.
This debate just shows, again, the importance of being able to identify a snake. One of my previous post recommended some good guide books anyone can use to pick up this essential (for you and the snake) skill. Correct identification can help humans tell whether a snake is a friend or a foe, and eventually allows us to make better decisions during an encounter with a snake.
If the situation is not life-threatening, give the pest control guys or the policemen a call (999). These people have the knowledge and equipment to deal with the situation, safely for you and (hopefully) the snake. At the LAST resort, give the snake a quick death by clubbing it on the head. After that, contact me or the Raffles Museum of Bodiversity Research (RMBR) so that we can keep the body for scientific research that is otherwise wasted.
REFERENCES
Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 79.
Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K., 1992. A Guide To The Amphibians & Reptiles Of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, p. 79.
