Snakes

[mountainside]

Greetings Forum Members,

 

I’m a new forum member, but not new to the Philippines.  Traveled to several Philippine islands on a previous SRRV from 2015 to 2019, and lived with my Filipino wife in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone from 2016 to 2019.  We’re in the US now, and it’s likely we’ll return to the Phils this Fall for an extended stay – probably IT Park in Cebu City.

 

I don’t expect any snake encounters in IT Park but, hey, we might end up in the Province.

 

While in SBFZ my wife’s Dad came for a visit and built her a terraced garden in our back yard.  Later on, while I was in the US on business my wife nearly grabbed a venomous Coral Snake while weeding the garden.  She ran screaming to the guard outpost and a couple sentries ran to the garden and killed the snake.  That was the end of her gardening.

 

That Christmas, after returning to SBFZ, I gave the two sentries US $10 each as a grateful present.  Shortly thereafter we would awake each morning to find other guards from the detachment waiting politely in our front yard for a similar present.  Once all was said and done, including a visit from each and every member of the 40 man detachment, and a courtesy call from the local SWAT team, my gratuities exceeded $400.  I laugh as I think back on it – I never anticipated what $20 in gifts would lead to.

 

A while after that I walked into the yard one morning to see a Philippine Cobra on our fence.  Killed it with a machete.  Couldn’t afford another $400 to call a sentry . . .

 

One morning after that we’re eating breakfast while gazing out into the yard.  A Philippine Serpent Eagle lands in a nearby tree with a snake in its talons.  I reckon the eagle will rip the snake to shreds and gobble it up.  Nope.  Flips the snake’s head into its mouth and over a period of several minutes swallows the snake whole.  I’m looking at the bird thinking that I don’t want his breakfast and he’s looking back at me thinking he doesn’t want mine either.  I wish that eagle would have been around when my wife needed help with the coral snake.  I’d have tipped him $10.

[Old55]

Welcome to the forum Mountainside. That was quite the introduction! 

[GeoffH]

Welcome to the forum (enjoyed the story too) :)

[BrettGC]

Welcome to the forum, and thanks for the laugh as well 

[Guy F.]

Interesting story. Welcome to this forum. You have chosen wisely.

[JJReyes]

14 hours ago, mountainside said:

That Christmas, after returning to SBFZ, I gave the two sentries US $10 each as a grateful present.  Shortly thereafter we would awake each morning to find other guards from the detachment waiting politely in our front yard for a similar present.  Once all was said and done, including a visit from each and every member of the 40 man detachment, and a courtesy call from the local SWAT team, my gratuities exceeded $400.  I laugh as I think back on it – I never anticipated what $20 in gifts would lead to.

We are staying at my sister's condo unit located across the street from Greenbelt mall.  For Christmas, my wife and I purchased red money envelopes stuff with money to give to the concierge desk and security guards assigned to our tower.  Word got out and staff, including housekeeping, were greeting us with a cheerful "Merry Christmas."  That includes staff working at the two other towers.  We had to buy more envelopes.

[Nickleback99]

Speaking of snakes, was just reading in my news feed this morning about a lady in Tampa, FL caught by TSA trying to board a flight with a 4 ft Boa Constrictor hidden in her carry on bag.  She was confronted and claimed it as an "emotional support pet snake".   Thankfully TSA told her to go pound sand and they and the airline refused to allow her to board the aircraft.   Sounds like a bad remake of a Bad movie, "Snakes on a Plane".....Still can't believe Samuel L. Jackson fell for being cast in that one.  

[Snowy79]

Welcome to the forum. As far as snakes go treat them as your friend.. All snakes will avoid humans where possible so treat them as harmless and always leave them an escape route.

They are there to keep the rat and mice population down.

Almost all snake bites are caused by people trying to catch or kill them and as you no doubt discovered if you pay for a dead snake word spreads and every snake killed in your area will be brought to you and it just happened they were passing your property and saw it so killed it to save your life. 

Edited February 11, 2023 by Snowy79

[mountainside]

Snowy79, I'm with you on snakes.  That cobra was the first snake I've killed.  I've had a number of close encounters with rattlesnakes here in the American West where I could easily have shot them but didn't.  Had a cobra on the fence and a freaking-out wife, so I made a quick command decision.  Had I been alone, things would have been different.  And thinking back on it, the monkeys in our SBFZ neighborhood caused a whole lot more problems than any snake I've ever encountered.  You're surely right about how snake bites occur.  Men get bitten on hands and arms;  women get bitten on feet and legs, and a lot less frequently than men.  They have more sense than to try and grab or kill a snake, unlike the male fools like me :)  

[gbmmbg]

8 hours ago, mountainside said:

the monkeys in our SBFZ neighborhood caused a whole lot more problems than any snake I've ever encountered.

Back in 1986 when I was stationed in Cubi the monkeys were a daily problem.  Learned a hard lesson, if they throw something at you, DONT THROW IT BACK..... the group took it bad. Chased me all the way back to the barracks and I was screaming like a little girl the whole way. O fun times.....lol