I refer to the letters from Denise Clarke, headlined 'King cobra endangered species', and David Willott, headlined 'King cobra must be protected' (South China Morning Post, July 30 and August 5 respectively).
According to police records, a king cobra, a highly venomous snake, of about three metres in length was caught in a house on July 23, by a snake catcher on the request of the police. The snake was later disposed of by the snake catcher.
King cobra is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). International trade in CITES Appendix II species is permissible under a licensing system so as to prevent over-exploitation.
Domestic trade is not subject to control. Locally there is no targeted catching of this species of snake for commercial purposes.
Snake-catching is a dangerous operation and a professional snake catcher is usually summoned to the scene by police when a snake-sighting complaint is received. The catching will be overseen by the police.
In accordance with a standing arrangement with the police, species subject to control, for example, a python, will be handed over to this department for follow-up action.