A(nother) year in Bali: A cobra pays us a visit...

Yesterday Janet and I were going about our business at home and we heard Nyoman, one of our staff, yelling at the cat. Janet asked her what was going on, and Nyoman said: "cobra!" The cat was investigating a small cobra who was next to a tree about 5 metres from the house. So...I ran and got the camera (with the long lens) and here's a few pictures of the snake. It was a small one, about 3 or 4 feet long, and though they are poisonous and venomous and all that, they really aren't super dangerous unless you corner them or attack them... or if you're a cat and go right up to them, like our cat Jesse did. Nyoman took a long pole and scared the snake away, and all was well... though we walked a bit carefully in the yard the rest of the day!

From Cobra!

Update: This from a friend, who sent the cobra pic to the leading snake expert in Bali. Here are his comments::

Oh yes, this most certainly is a common spitting cobra (Naja sputatrix). But at 3-4 ft long, I would say that it was not 'small' but rather 'big' - certainly a fully grown adult! A 'small cobra I think of as under 20 cm /8 in, up to about 30-35 cm / a foot long., in which case it is a hatchling or a yearling. So the cobra you saw was considerbly oldr than that. I wonder why you never saw it before? Has its original habitat been disturbed (building, land clearance??).
As for not being super dangerous, I would add that these cobras are probably the main cause of snakebite death and long term injury to peple and animals in Bali. So it might not be a good idea to tell people once more to treat them with respect and stay well clear of them. A spitter can and will spray venom up to 2m, and aim for the top of the dark moving shape it sees (= your head and eyes). While the venom will not harm you if it gets on your skin or clothes, any venom entering a cut, graze, scratched bite etc, and especially the eyes will cause envenomation. If sprayed in the eyes, wash continuously under running water (if there is a tap0 or irrigate with bottles of clean water for about 30 min, and then get to a hospital. If washed out sufficiently, and certainly never rubbed, the eyes should suffer no lasting damamge, although thy will be very sore for a few days
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