Last week, Traidhos Barge Program was working with a school in Khao Yai National Park. The students were in the vans, moving to the trail when the lead driver spotted a King Cobra on the road. Being a responsible park visitor he slowed down, waiting for the snake to pass. Imagine the scene with what happened next. The snake disappeared under the van, but no-one saw it reappear the other side. The van driver behind radioed in that the snake had not come out from behind the van…there was just one place it could be.

Quickly, the driver made the short journey to the Ranger Station, where he called for assistance. Soon several rangers arrived with snake catching equipment. Nervously, the driver lifted the bonnet of the van to reveal his extra passenger –  the very long cobra. The rangers jumped into action, securing the head in the noose and then lifting out about four meters of snake from around the engine.

Students enjoyed the excitement of this unexpected passenger before continuing with their program. The Rangers commented that they had never been called to such an incident before!