Mindanaotoday.com | Dead cobra kills DavOr man
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Thinking it would no longer do him harm, a 42-year-old man, who toyed with a severed head of a Philippine cobra on his palm, Monday morning, March 20, in Santa Maria town, Davao Oriental had his last breath in less than an hour.
Reports from Davao City-based 91.5 Brigada News FM and Newsline Philippines identified the fatality as Reynante Maligon, a resident of San Pedro village of the said town.
Photos posted online showed villagers had already captured and chopped the venomous snake (Naha philippinensis) into two, measuring almost two meters, when Maligon arrived.
To convince the crowd the dreadful cobra was already harmless, he reportedly cut off the head, opened its mouth with fangs and rubbed it on his palm. Indeed, there was no sign of life in it.
But minutes later, the once playful and talkative Maligon could no longer utter a word, had breathing difficulty, and was led to lie down on a wooden bench.
Village health workers came and tried to revive him, but failed.
Toxicity studies indicate that the venom from Philippine cobra (also known as spitting cobra) is a potent neurotoxin that can affect respiratory function and cause paralysis, followed by headache, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
Earlier, San Pedro village chief Irene Maligon, a family relative of the victim, had issued public warning on sightings of Philippine cobra – one of listed endangered species, under Republic Act No. 9147 – due to dry weather. (Uriel Quilinguing with reports from Brigada News FM Davao and Newsline Philippines)
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