Whilst I have been heavily dissuaded from contributing to this forum, this is an exception I think is worthwhile.

Has anyone noticed a lot of snakes about over the past day? We encountered an angry bamboo pit viper right in Po Wah Yuen. It 'stood up', hissed, we moved back and eventually it went into the thicket (away from anyone's house). Then coming down the hill, we saw two (i think) rat snakes. One was pretty large, again, stood up, hissed and took its time going into another thicket.

As this is our first summer in HK, what happens if we or our dogs get bitten? 999 straight away?

How common is it to be bitten by a snake on Lamma?

It must be rare. Been here 10 years, haven't heard of it happening yet ...

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If a 'rat snake' sits up and hisses it's probably a cobra.

Cobras almost always hod when threatened, this is a defensive move on their part and if you move away they'll tend to do the same. It's rare but they can also spit venom so allowing them to continue to be threatened or toying them with sticks is a really bad idea (however many strikes in HK are attributed to this).

Rat snakes often look similar to the Chinese Cobra in colour and size and are more common. They don't hood or spit, they're not poisonous but they can be aggressive and bite.

I have spotted or stumbled upon many snakes in HK at this time of the year both on Lamma and more so in the Sai Kung (country park) area. I'm not sure but I believe this is due to the current weather pattern. Regular sightings are after a big rainfall, I guess they get washed down from the watersheds? Also early on sunny mornings whilst hiking/biking I have encountered snakes sun bathing, they're cold blooded after all. One encounter was a 9' King Cobra, he did not move away after I halted however I shortly did!

Bites do occur in HK. Not frequently but it happens. Generally the moving away trick works but the Bamboo Pit Viper (venomous but rarely fatal) and Burmese Python (not venomous but usually big) are known to ambush and some people/pets get attacked after surprising or antagonising them.

If you or anyone with you do get bitten then I'd say this:

1. Remove yourselves from the threat and record your location and the time of the bite.
2. Try to identify the species and call 999, give them as much information as possible about the colour, markings and size of the snake. A picture from a camera phone is a better idea than trying to capture the snake (as sometimes suggested), write down the details if you have pen and paper.
3. Stay as calm as possible
4. Try to keep the location of the bite as far below the heart as possible.
5. Wait for the emergency services to arrive.

That said, the risk is small (for humans) so don't let it spoil your enjoyment of the country side. Stamping your feet in tall grassy areas is usually enough to avoid an encounter, no point shouting I've yet to come across one with ears!

Here's some good info: http://www.hkoutdoors.com/hk-wildlife/d ... -kong.html

Thanks for all the information (even you, MA! )

Having never seen one in the wild before, three angry ones in an hour was quite an experience.

The website was really useful. The "rat snake" that stood up at us didn't have the flat neck like a Chinese Cobra - did have the shape of a King Cobra but nowhere as large. Maybe 1-2m.

What happens if our dogs get bitten? I assume you can't call 999 for a dog emergency. A call to Hans? I wonder if he has an out of hours number.

Sorry to say we have also seen two in PWY. On small (skinny, 2ft long) silver thing, and one huge great thing they was well over 6 foot long (didn't see the whole thing) and brownish patterns, about 2 1/2 to 3 inches thick, could have been a small python.

Nasty! Saw none at all last year. Do they come in cycles?

Not sure they come in cycles...... although am seeing a lot more this year than in recent years... every day in the garden & on my daily walks around the countryside. ............including a first sighting of a large Banded Krate in our garden.
Had a small Watersnake in the house a few days ago which was a first also.
Only the occasional Chinese Cobra...... mainly Rat Snakes of varying sizes.
(have had a very large RatSnake flare at me a few years back)

Think it may have something to do with the weather pattern, although not quite sure why in particular.
We have had a very long dry spell prior to the recent wet weather which may have something to do with it.

( ps. the Baker from a few years back was bitten by a Chinese Cobra in his bed.... although he didn't know much about it until the next morning when he woke up...... he had gone to bed blind drunk..... got it sorted by Queen Mary)

A fairly simple solution for keeping snakes out of the house is to spray Baygon around entry points... it deals with centipedes as well who only need to touch Baygon & they enter a death cycle)

I got so lucky this morning, my first close-up shot of a snake in years, while I was returning this morning from another Trig Point photo shoot (highest point of North Lamma, about 15 minutes on the Snake Trail starting at Lamma Winds).

I heard a faint rustling in the dry leaves behind me, just off the Snake Path, not far above the Kindergarten. I stopped in my track and spotted this little beauty just off the path. Camera still on the ready I just got a few close-up shots from maybe 2 feet away while it quickly slithered away, up the embankment and vanished into the forest. Too quick to get a decent, sharp shot and I didn't want to inconvenience it by making it stop and pose for me, even though it was just a baby, only about 1.5 feet long.

What a beauty! But I'm not sure what it is? A harmless Copperhead Racer, perhaps?

Well, another entry for our public "Lamma Snake Sightings" group on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/122818261090269/

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The thing I thought was a python about a month ago has been seen twice in the last two week in PWY.

Yik!

Photo by David Tanner, a Bamboo Pit Viper.

This is the same species that has bitten a Lammaite a few weeks ago in Bali, making his foot swell up badly for weeks.

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Yup... snakes are around. Used to freak me out walking the dog.

I've become very adept at 'stamping my feet at the beginning of a walk at night'!!

I'm sure people think I could be nuts when they see me stomping at night down a path for a few seconds, but this is the first thing I do when I go out walking on a dark path.

Stamp my feet a few times to let them buggers (snakes) know I'm in the vicinity. If they hear you they will (usually???) disappear.

Were can i buy Baygon??? as those centipedes that look like aliens i see close to my house.... Too close.?