Cobra victim out of hospital

After eight days in the hospital, initially   in critical condition caused by the bite of a  King Cobra, zoo keeper Ronaldo ‘Ronron’ Aventurado was discharged yesterday from the Cebu City Medical Center with a clean bill of health.

Aventurado said he would  immediately report back to work at the Cebu zoo, ready  to face the reptile that almost cost him his life.

“Ako siyang gamon. Ig-abot didto ako pa gani siyang lawgan (I will take care of the snake. When I get there, I will even feed it)” he told reporters.

But the 34-year-old zoo keeper may not his wish.

City officials plan to  donate the deadly snake, which was not one of the zoo’s animals, to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Metro Manila for their research in developing an anti-venom antidote for other snakebite victims.

Dr. Alice Utlang, head of the Department for Veterinary Medicines and Fisheries (DVMF), said the captured snake could live in  the cobra farm of the research center based in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

Visiting wildlife expert Soham Mukherjee of the Human Society International, who worried that the Cebu zoo didn’t have the right facilities or training,  agreed that giving the snake to the  RTMI for safe keeping was a good move.

He earlier recommended releasing the serpent to the wild.

Recently,  a Philippine cobra  was donated to the to the city government by its owner who started to fear for his safety after learning about Aventurado’s ordeal.

The two cobras can’t be  placed in the same cage.  The King Cobra, which feeds on other snakes, would be a predator to the newcomer.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said that he wanted to see Utlang’s proposal in writing for him to consider it.

“We’ll see. I will listen to experts,” said Rama.

Yesterday, the  City Council passed a resolution asking the Department of Health in Central Visayas to be better prepared for  an emergency like the snake bite incident, which highlighted the lack of anti-snake bite venom in  medical supplies and hospitals in Cebu.

The serum had to be flown in from Camiguin province.

Utlang called last week’s incident which almost killed the zoo keeper  an “eye opener” for the city government and the zoo management.

They saw the need to  better equip the 12 zoo personnel and stock up on anti-venom medicine.

Aventurado was bitten on his left wrist after he  grabbed the King Cobra in his hand last Tuesday. He tried to suck out the venom but partly ingested the poison and collapsed unconconscious.

He was  rushed to CCMC where his body functions started failing until the antidote was administered the next day.

Dr. Ross Villero, one of  the attending physicians cleared Aventurado for discharge and his return to work.

He said the zoo keeper only needs to take  antibiotics for a few days.

Aventurado thanked all government officials, medical personnel and private individuals who helped him survive, especially those who secured vials of anti-venom facilitated by traffic chief Sylvan ‘Jack” Jakosalem.

“I would not have my second life without you,” he said in Cebuano.

He singled out Capt. Jessup Bahinting of Aviatours Air who sent a private plane  to pick up the the antidote from Camiguin for free.

The zoo keeper said he was heartbroken to learn that Bajinting died in Saturday’s  plane crash with Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) 7 Secretary Jesse Robredo and Nepali student pilot Kshitiz Chand./with Intern Shiela Marie B. Bilbao