An increasing number of cases has been reported of Taiwan habu snakes entering into private houses in the Nago area.

Taiwan habu is 1.2 times more venomous than the Okinawa habu. In one case at the end of November, a Taiwan habu reportedly slithered into a house and bit a woman on her left hand while she was sleeping.

According to Nago City officials, 345 Taiwan habu were trapped within the city this year as of the end of October, which is the most ever.

Officials believe that a sightseeing facility in Nago area imported Taiwan habu for habu-mongoose fight shows around 1970, and some escaped and settled in the wild. Since then, they have been expanding their habitat year after year. They have recently been discovered in parts of Nakijin and Motobu, and this year also in Henoko, Sukuta, and Kise.

In the Sukuta ward, 12 of Taiwan habu have been found in restrooms, laundry drying spaces, and on the streets.

According to Jun Sakai, a senior researcher at the Japan Snake Institute, people should be careful when entering areas under dark shadow or narrow gaps between structures. In houses where people live on the ground floor, doors and windows should be kept shut to prevent the snakes from entering. If bitten, the person should go to the nearest hospital for an anti-venom shot in order to avoid serious consequences.

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