A one-meter, highly venomous many-banded krait snake was spotted near a house in Lok Ma Chau in the New Territories’ Yuen Long on Tuesday.
A woman posted a 10-second video of the snake on a Facebook page called Yuen Long Talk, saying her brother spotted the snake on the sidewalk when he returned to the house in Pun Uk Tsuen in Lok Ma Chau, news website HK01.com reported.
She alerted other villagers and told them to close the windows in their cars and houses to stop the snake getting in. Others claimed they had seen the same type of snake in the past few days. One said he spotted a many-banded krait in Nam Pin Wai in Sai Kung.
Snake expert Chow Ka-ling said the many-banded krait was one of the most highly venomous snakes in Hong Kong. Its venom can lead to respiratory paralysis and heart failure in a short period of time.
Chow said any snakebite victims should be sent to hospital as soon as possible. According to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, the many-banded krait was among 14 venomous native land snakes found in the New Territories, Hong Kong Island and Lantau Island.
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