Fatal encounters

The death of a man who was found unresponsive in a grassy area in Barangay Babayongan, Dalaguete town, last Tuesday morning, has been blamed on a snake.

The neighbors of farmer Maximo Millan, 64, a resident of the same barangay, said he had gone out to pasture his goat in the place where he was later found unconscious. He was rushed to the hospital where he was later declared dead.

There were no signs of foul play on his body, other than what appeared to be two puncture wounds at the back of his left knee, leading police to conclude that he had indeed been bitten by a snake. Most likely a cobra locally known as “banakon”.

An autopsy has been ordered to definitively determine the cause of Millan’s death.

Every once in a while in Cebu, snakes, especially pythons, make their way into residential areas and even houses. These stories make the news, but usually these are only about how the homeowners found them and how the authorities removed them, rarely does it happen that these encounters end up in a fatality.

But these can still happen. Expansion of human settlements into what was mostly a natural habitat is becoming more common as the human population explodes. Areas that were once only the habitat of animals is usually turned into farmland first, and then made into places where humans can build their homes and cities.

This has led to encounters between local wildlife and humans. Some can be amusing tales worth telling, but others can be more dangerous, like what happens often in countries like India, in particular areas like the Sundarbans.

As sad as what happened to Millan was, let it serve as a reminder to us that many of the areas we now consider ours was once nature’s domain. And that sometimes those who originally lived there are still around and perceive intruders --meaning us-- as threats.

Consider this food for thought to go along with the revelation of Cebu City councilor Rey Gealon that the city health department has no supply of anti-venom at present.