Green Bamboo snake on Hiking trail.. HK side

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  1. #1

    Join Date
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    Green Bamboo snake on Hiking trail.. HK side

    Friends were out training for the Trailwalker at night this past weekend and nearly stepped on this guy. Green Bamboo Pit Viper... HK trail near Wanchai Gap...


  2. #2

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    Dec 2004
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    That's a beauty. Fairly big one too! Glad nobody stepped on it.


  3. #3

    are there green bamboo pit vipers on the Hong Kong side? or are there only greater green (non-venomous) snakes?

    I am told the larger triangular head is how you will know it is a green bamboo pit viper. If a green bamboo pit viper bites you, is it fatal? If it bites a child, is it fatal?


  4. #4

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    honestly, do you REALLY want to get so close to it to decide if its head is "triangular" or not???

    if it bites me, i'm going to the hospital IMMEDIATELY!

    AFAIK, bamboo snakes are VERY poisonous...but again, i'm not going to fiddle-faddle about deciding if it's poisonous enough to warrant a trip to the hospital A & E dept...


  5. #5

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    Yes, I believe there are bamboo snakes on HK Island; I know there are Chinese cobras because I've seen them on the HK Trail. Both are venomous, but the government's guide to Hong Kong Amphibians & Reptiles says that deaths are "virtually unheard of in healthy people" for the bamboo snake. The Chinese cobra does cause fatalities.


  6. #6

    does heavy rainfall like the last two weeks before this week force the snakes to come out more?

    did anyone hear of someone being bitten on Bowen Road recently? I want to avoid jogging on the road at those times....


  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by chiming123:
    does heavy rainfall like the last two weeks before this week force the snakes to come out more?

    did anyone hear of someone being bitten on Bowen Road recently? I want to avoid jogging on the road at those times....
    I think you are getting over concerned. The following link:

    Snakebites in children in the densely populated ci... [Acta Paediatr. 2004] - PubMed result

    shows that 7 children were bitten by snakes in 10 years and none of them were fatal (or even close to fatal it appears).

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Oct 2003
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    Quote Originally Posted by chiming123:
    I want to avoid jogging on the road at those times....
    If you're worried try not running around in the dark. Works for me.