Huge king cobra found unable to move in Malaysia: It is believed to have eaten another snake

The king cobra caught in the hills of Paya Terubong in Malaysia on Sunday has been released back to its habitat.

Senior fire officer Abdul Syukor Musa from the Paya Terubong station said the snake was released in the Bukit Baru forest which is located between Paya Terubong and Balik Pulau, reports The Star.

“It is the habitat of the king cobra and the location is far and hardly accessible to the public,” he said when contacted.

It was reported that the king cobra was found motionless near a block of flats in a hilly area of Paya Terubong on Sunday.

The resting snake was believed to have eaten another snake or a monitor lizard earlier that day.

Several brave residents and passers-by helped to catch the reptile.

Abdul Syukor, who was the officer-in-charge of the operation on the day the snake was caught, said although the king cobra is a venomous snake, it would not simply attack humans.

“It will only attack when it is threatened or when humans try to catch it.

“Therefore, I appeal to the public not to try catching a king cobra on their own.

“Contact the Fire and Rescue Department should you come across snakes. We will handle it professionally,” he said.

Meanwhile, Penang Wildlife and National Parks director Loo Kean Seong, when contacted, reminded the public that once a snake is caught, it is advisable to hand it over to the department.

“We have our guidelines in releasing the reptiles. Usually, snakes caught by either the Fire and Rescue Department or the Civil Defence Department will be handed over to us, and we will release them in a safe forest reserve area.

“Rest assured that no matter whether the snake is poisonous or not, we will not release them in recreation forests or recreation parks which are easily accessible to the public,” he said.