Justice demanded for APM member killed in snake handling demo using King Cobra for SOP failure

 

CALL it misplaced bravado but a seeming failure to observe safety protocols has led to the death of a Malaysia Civil Defence Force (APM) personnel after he was bitten by a deadly King Cobra during a demonstration exercise.

The tragic incident occurred on Saturday (Aug 22) in Temerloh, Pahang when Sarjan Muhamad Muazam Shah Kamardin, 39, was taking part in a demonstration.

Alas, the demo went awry and the victim who was reported to have been bitten on a finger of his right hand at about 10.50am had gone outside the hall to wash the wound.

He subsequently fainted outside the hall and was rushed to hospital for further treatment where he succumbed to the injury at 1.50am yesterday (Aug 23).

This tragic news was widely reported in mainstream press and shared on social media, including the Facebook Reels of Harian Metro.

The post which included a short clip of the fateful demonstration has generated 20.3K likes, 2K comments and 1.3K shares at time of writing.

Of course, there were many messages of condolences for the fallen public servant.

However, the wisdom of using such a venomous reptile for a demonstration was questioned.

Amid all the messages of condolences, there was a pertinent question as to whether the correct SOP (standard operating procedures) had been adhered to.

This commenter was adamant that the matter not simply be dismissed as some sort of death-by-misadventure, hence demanding that the relevant person(s) be made accountable.

This included the relevant section heads as well as APM itself. The next of kin was urged to sue for compensation and not let this end with just messages of sympathies and nothing else.

It was also asked were there not safety protocols to deal with such scenarios? Some curious observers claimed that in light of previous incidents, surely there must be precautions in place such as having anti-venom on stand-by.

It was also inferred that the perhaps “a phyton instead of a King Cobra” would have been a safer option for the said demo given its non-venomous nature.

More than a few amateur reptile experts also noted that usually the venom would be removed from the snakes before a performance or demo. Why wasn’t it done here?

The issue of public safety was also highlighted by some concerned citizens. What were the risks of a member of the public being harmed in such a demo? Better safe than sorry and just don’t have such demos was the pertinent advice here.

This led to some commenters to demand that an end be put to such demonstrations which they surmised did little except provide a platform for some to show-off.

A few things to note about this tragic episode.

First and foremost, wildlife species as deadly as King Cobras are not meant to be trifled with. As pointed out by more than a few observers, there was little point in having such a dangerous reptile in a demo and in such near proximity to the public and without adequate safety measures in place.

Secondly, there seems to have been a failure in SOPs. Surely, the regulations do NOT allow for demonstrations to involve King Cobras or any other such dangerous species, especially with their fangs and venom sacs intact.

It only seems like common sense that the snake’s venom is removed for it to be used in training or exhibition purposes.

What exactly are the guidelines governing such demonstrations?

The public has a right to know and, if need be, demand better rules to protect both bystanders as well as public servants. It could very well prevent unnecessary loss of lives. –   Focus Malaysia