199 hotline personnel handle about 60, 000 snake removals a year
Snakes really are a much bigger problem in Bangkok compared to many people think. Just ask the personnel at the 199 crisis hotline. On average, they say, they get a demand assistance with snakes every 15 minutes, with about 60, 000 snake removals taking place every year.
The particular figures were launched after a Bangkok resident posted a picture on the web of a large boa constrictor hanging from the tree in Din Daeng district, spurring a strong response within the neighbourhood and beyond.
Rescuers at the emergency hotline said on Saturday that some 200 calls are made daily in Bangkok requesting assistance with pests for example snakes, water screens and wasps. Snakes make up about half from the calls, according to the workers.
“On average, a report is created every 15 minutes throughout every 24-hour period” said an owner.
The hotline reports a success rate of over 90% when capturing snakes, elaborating how the animals are flipped over to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Herb Conservation so that they might be released in appropriate natural settings.
Alongkorn Mahanop, an adviser towards the Zoological Park Firm, says no recognized survey of the snake population has been executed in Bangkok, so no definite data are available. However , this individual estimated that there are likely close to a thousand snakes in each district in the city, making encounters likely.
“The high population of snakes in Bangkok is a result of its citizens not consuming snakes, which means the reptiles do not have direct predators within the city while having a good amount of prey such as dogs, cats and hens, ” Dr Alongkorn said.
According to the veterinarian, 90% of snakes present in the capital are boas with the other 10% being pythons.
A large boa constrictor hangs from a tree in Din Daeng district of Bangkok on Thursday. (Photo: Pangrum Dindaeng Facebook page)