King Cobra to be turned over to research institute

THE King Cobra that recently bit a Cebu City zoo worker may be turned over to the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Alabang, Muntinlupa where it can be taken cared of.

Cebu City zoo manager Giovanni Romarrate said it’s time for the city government to do this since they cannot find a mate for the serpent whose gender they have yet to determine.

“It’s better for the King Cobra to be turned over to the RITM rather than having it stay in the city zoo,” he told Cebu Daily News.

Romarrate said his earlier proposal to set up a serpentarium at the city zoo is also out of the question. He said it cannot be done unless they find a mate for the King Cobra.

A serpentarium would require a glass cage measuring 15 meters wide and 3/4 to 1 inch thick.

Having a serpentarium will help zoo officials study the cobra’s behavior.

But it’s ideal to have a male and female cobra on the glass cage to better study their characteristics and behavior, Romarrate said.

Romarrate met with Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and Alice Utlang, Department for Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF) chief, to discuss what to do with the King Cobra.

It was agreed that the cobra be turned over to the RITM to also help in the Department of Health’s (DOH) research on anti-venom medicines.

He said the donation will be made as soon as the requirements are complied with.

Romarrate said he will personally transport the cobra to Manila so he can visit the RITM.

“I would look into their facilities so we can see whether it can also be brought here,” he said.

Last Saturday, Cebu City zoo workers also caught a two meter long python that ate seven newly born puppies of their dog.

The Asian python is placed in a cage separate from the King Cobra.

Romarrate said the King Cobra cannot be mixed with the other snakes since it feeds on small serpents. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac