Jarun Sae-Iew and the Majestic King Cobra Encounter in Trang’s Durian Orchard

In the serene landscapes of Trang, where the air hums with the promise of ripening durians, the murmur of an epic tale unfolds. Picture this: a durian orchard bathed in the golden light of dawn, its peace shattered by the whispers of something majestic slithering through its midst. Enter the protagonist—a regal, yet stealthy king cobra, whose unannounced appearances have been the talk of the town during the harvest season.

The 73-year-old orchard owner, Jarun Sae-Iew, a fixture in the Ban Thung Yao community of Palian district, recounts his encounters with the elusive serpent. “It’s as if it has a vendetta against punctuality,” Jarun grumbles, having witnessed the snake’s high-stakes vanishing act more than once. Despite his calls for aid, the cobra always seemed to know when to make its mysterious exit just in time to foil any rescue attempts. But July 7 was different.

On that fateful morning, as workers prepared to embark on their usual durian-picking routine, Jarun’s keen eyes caught a flicker of movement. The cobra, slipping under the boughs of a towering tree, was discovered once again. Jarun’s hand, quick to his phone, dialed 21-year-old Suphat Eadchata—affectionately dubbed ‘Benz the Snake Wrangler’ by locals—a seasoned rescuer with the Na Muen Sri Subdistrict Rescue Unit.

The search led them to a conspicuous patch beneath the durian tree, where the earth promised secrets. Digging an impressive four meters deep, they unearthed the hiding serpent in its covert lair. With the dexterity of a seasoned dancer and the prowess of a world-class wrangler, Suphat, with his trusty snake hook, restrained the cobra’s formidable head, expertly maneuvering it out of its hiding spot. Measure for measure, the king cobra extended a full 4 meters long, tipping the scales at 8 kilograms—a formidable beauty placed gingerly into a sack, much to onlookers’ relief and admiration.

Jarun, peeling back the layers of his orchard’s history, mused over the unique event. In his 30 years of tending to the land, never once had he greeted a king cobra’s watchful gaze. Fearful that the snake’s masterful leaf-inspired camo may lead to an unintended misstep—literally—he couldn’t dismiss a shudder at the thought of an unsuspecting victim wandering too close. “Bamboo rats used to run rampant here,” he noted, the likely prey for the royal intruder, now conspicuously absent.

As if the fabled cobra had an adventurous peer, another tale unwound in Songkhla, where a 4-meter cobra was found in mid-feast—its victim, a hapless rat snake, at the rubber tree’s base. This encounter, dating back to June 16, had workers in Nathawi district scrambling for help, summoning the southern Thailand serpentology team to the rescue. In a saga deserving a mythological stage, they succeeded in relocating the cobra to a secluded forest, away from prying eyes and trembling communities.

Jarun, recounting his close encounter of the slithery kind, takes a breath of relief. “No eggs or babies,” he nods, comforted by the lack of a burgeoning brood that might have cast further doubt on the orchards’ safety.

This chapters of serpentine escapades serve as captivating reminders of nature’s grandeur and the delicate balance of cohabitation between humans and their wild counterparts. And as the durian orchards of Trang continue to flourish under Jarun’s care, one can’t help but wonder if another saga is just waiting to unfold beneath the rustling leaves.