By Nina Muslim
KUALA LUMPUR, July 15: Cats come and go, but when four cats went missing within the past three months, a cat rescuer, who wants only to be known as Rosnah, feared the worst.
Over the last 10 years, she has lost 20 to 30 cats and kittens to snakes, which, she said, inhabit an abandoned house with overgrown weeds next door.
“If they (cats) ran away and are still alive, it’s okay. But I don’t want them to be eaten. The thought of it is sickening me,” Rosnah, who is turning 70 soon, told Bernama at her home office-cum-cat shelter in Ampang, Selangor.
A few years back, she had to call the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) because she had found a 15-foot-long python sleeping off a meal in the quarantine shed she had built to house sick and recovering rescued cats.
Although Rosnah primarily blames the neglected property next door for the snakes, experts warn the public to take precautions as unkempt surroundings combined with an increase in extreme weather, such as heatwaves from the intensifying El Niño, and habitat loss tend to give rise to snake-human incidents.
El Nino Connection
Human encounters with snakes increase as temperatures rise. Research done in Costa Rica, which mandates snake bite reporting, found that snake bites rise 24 per cent with every temperature increase. The study, which was published in ‘Science Advances’ in 2015 [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4643785/], also linked the spikes to El Nino.
According to Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) deputy director-general (Operations) Ambun Dindang, while El Niño conditions are already present, the Super El Niño phase is expected to peak between November this year and January 2027, with rainfall expected to decrease across most parts of the country.
Environmental biologist and former Malaysian Nature Society president Prof Ahmad Ismail told Bernama via WhatsApp that “snakebites tend to rise sharply during hot weather and El Niño events because extreme temperatures make snakes more active and drive them, along with their prey, to seek food and shelter near human settlements”.
He said that, as snakes are cold-blooded animals, they have problems regulating their temperature and would seek shelter when they overheat.
“Shade, water and cool spaces are essential for their survival, and these are often found in gardens, under household appliances or even inside homes and vehicles,” he said.
He said this resulted in more frequent encounters between humans and snakes, “often with dangerous consequences.”
The trend is unlikely to decrease. As snakes adapt to hotter conditions and habitat loss, researchers posited in a May 2026 study led by the World Health Organisation that their range is also expected to increase and spill over more and more into human areas in the future [https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014030&utm_source=pr&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=plos006].
According to statistics compiled by Bomba from 2023 to June 2026, seven states in Malaysia, including Sabah, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, reported moderately high to very high rates of snake capture by the Civil Defence Force and Bomba.
A few states have already reported a spike in cases this year, with 1,700 reported in January and February in Terengganu; 4,000 cases as of June in Kelantan; and 2,716 cases as of April in Kedah. This spike was blamed on the heatwave, habitat loss and development.
Data from Bomba found Selangor recorded the highest number of snake-human conflicts in Malaysia, with 4,599 cases till June this year.
Experts said the hot weather is also increasing snakes’ search for food.
“When the weather becomes hotter, their metabolism speeds up, prompting them to travel longer distances and hunt more aggressively,” noted Ahmad.
Zulfahmi Sutaji, head of the National Fire and Rescue Operations Centre at the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia’s headquarters in Putrajaya, told Bernama that snakes would often go where their food sources are, such as chicken coops and pet enclosures.
“The nature of snakes is that they are predators that hunt for food. For example, when a snake chases a rat, and the rat runs into a house, the snake will follow it. That’s why it’s important to understand the different types of snakes… those that prey on rats and those that prey on other snakes. We need to understand their natural characteristics. A python, for instance, will prey on animals such as kittens and chickens,” he said.
Precautions
In case of snake bites, Malaysia has an organised system for managing them. Head of the Emergency Department at Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL), Dr Alzamani Mohd Idrose, told Bernama in a statement that selected hospitals stock antivenoms appropriate for venomous snake species found locally.
“There is (also) the Remote Envenomation Consultation Services (RECS), a 24-hour expert consultation service that assists doctors nationwide in diagnosis and antivenom decisions,” he said.
HKL could not provide records of snakebite cases treated at the hospital as of press time.
Dr Alzamani added that while El Niño potentially increases human encounters with snakes in search of food, water and shelter, he could not say if HKL has received additional cases of snake bites associated with the higher temperatures.
“Snakebite incidence is also influenced by rainfall patterns, agricultural activities and urban development, so it is difficult to attribute increases solely to El Niño,” he said.
Experts have warned the public not to approach snakes if they encounter them. They advised the public to call Bomba or the Civil Defence Force (APM), as well as take photos or videos of the snake and take note of its location, so that the Bomba or APM personnel would be able to capture it safely.
In case of snake bites, Dr Alzamani said the public should stay calm, move away from the snake, keep the bitten limb as still as possible, and remove rings, watches or tight clothing before swelling develops, and go to the nearest hospital immediately or call emergency services if severe symptoms develop.
He warned against cutting the wound, attempting to suck out the venom, applying ice or herbal remedies or chemicals, or using a tourniquet.
“Do not attempt to catch or kill the snake as this increases the risk of further bites,” he added.
To reduce human-snake encounters, Zulfahmi advised the public to break the snakes’ food chain by covering any hole that a snake could slither into, such as pipes.
“If rats cannot get into your house, snakes won’t enter. If there are no openings, musang and bats won’t enter either, and predators won’t come either. And, if you keep animal cages or chicken coops, get the proper ones. Makeshift enclosures can allow snakes to get inside,” he said.
He also advised the public to mow the grass and to keep their yards neat.
As far as Rosnah is concerned, it is easier said than done.
Since her encounter with a python resting after a meal a few years back, Rosnah has done all she could to limit the reptiles’ entry into her house and yard. She has put up small screens in her drains and pipes. She has covered the cat enclosure with small metal bars, too small for a python to slither in. She has put up high walls and sharp wires on top to prevent snakes from coming in. She also bought sulfur balls in the hopes they will deter snakes.
But she remains frustrated that while she can keep her house and yard neat, there are no stronger enforcement measures beyond fines to force the owners of the property next door to clear and maintain their increasingly neglected premises.
“This isn’t a jungle. It’s a residential area,” she said.
— BERNAMA