MATI CITY, DAVAO ORIENTAL - Is this El Nino's wrath- with fangs?

Following multiple sightings of venomous snakes, one of which nearly attacked a child last week, villagers here killed two king cobras on Sunday and have begun to blame the drought for the serpents' unusual behavior.

At least 10 cobras, locally known as banakon, have been spotted since the start of the month in Badas, a village that has acquired an unenviable reputation as "agianan sa banakon (pathway of the king cobras)."

Just before dawn on Sunday, resident Ariel Romano saw two banakon preying on his chickens, a horrifying sight that prompted him to call out to neighbors for help.

"I was really terrified to see my chickens running wildly so I grabbed my bolo and called for help," said the 47-year-old farmer.

Armed with bolos and bamboo spears, Romano's neighbors followed the predators' trail and didn't take long to have them cornered. Hacked and beaten to death, the dead snakes each measured at least a meter long.

Last week, a 3-year-old child standing just outside a house was snatched from within striking distance of a banakon in the same village.

A cobra had slithered very close to the child and was already in an "attack position"- head raised, neck expanded, fangs exposed- when a passerby came to the rescue.

Snake exodus

There seemed to be an exodus of king cobras in and around town since February. Six king cobras were seen in Sitio Lower Tagawisan, two in Sitio Camansi and two others in Sitio Upper Tagawisan.

In Bansalan, Davao del Sur, the cobras, a species not endemic in that town, have suddenly appeared and even started attacking humans.

Also last month, two farmers died of snakebite while a baby was saved because his parents were quick enough to parry a cobra attack.

King cobras are known to attack people when they are threatened or provoked by approaching objects or sudden movements. Habitat destruction and a dwindling food supply also force them to venture into human settlements.

But Badas councilor Rey Catulong offered another explanation for the recurring attacks of late: The dry spell brought about by the El Nino phenomenon.

Catulong said the intense heat must be driving the snakes out of their shelter. "The much hotter temperature may be the main reason," he said.

According to the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB), the venomous reptiles are known to inhabit wet and humid environments, like bamboo thickets or forest areas crossed by rivers and swamps, and where the temperature is at least 35 degrees Celsius.

"Listless"

In an interview in Manila, PAWB director Theresa Mundita Lim said lack of moisture and high temperatures may be among the reasons king cobras leave their natural habitat to look for shaded, cooler areas.

"If there is no water supply and their habitat is too dry, they will really come out," Lim said when told of situation in Badas.

She said king cobras usually survive in tropical areas but they could become "listless" when they lack moisture. They also depend on their external environment to regulate body temperature.

"We cannot discount the possibility that it is because of the heat that they are getting out of their pits, but there is a need to closely monitor the temperature before making any conclusions," said Lim.

There are other environmental factors to be considered, such as the scarcity of prey or nearby construction projects and diggings affecting their habitats, she added.

"They are also disturbed by vibrations [on the ground]," she said.