PETALING JAYA: As more and more developments encroach on wildlife habitats, forcing animals out, Malaysians should be more aware of their surroundings and adopt a culture of safety when dealing with wild animals, says a clinical toxinologist.
In a recent case in Kuala Pilah, Negri Sembilan, a family of three was terrified when a 15kg reticulated python fell from the ceiling of their house and then slipped into the bathroom.
Fortunately, the reptile was recovered by a team from the district Civil Defense Force.
Last month, 29 baby reticulated pythons measuring between 30cm and 50cm each, were found in a drain near a restaurant in Section 20, Shah Alam.
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Worryingly, this is not the first such incident.
The non-profit organization Remote Envenomation Consultancy Services (RECS) advises the public to be cautious when faced with a situation of having dangerous wildlife in the home or housing area.
RECS provides consulting assistance for medical professionals dealing with cases involving toxins from organisms, originating from venomous and venomous animals, plants or fungi.
Assoc Prof Dr Ahmad Khaldun Ismail, who founded RECS in 2010, said then that he was looking for current scientific methods to treat patients in the hospital’s emergency department who have been bitten or stung by dangerous or poisonous animals.
The clinical toxinologist observed an increasing number of cases consulted through the support system for clinicians, which showed a new trend in the management of such patients in Malaysia.
“Compared to a decade ago, plantation workers are exposed to wildlife habitat and cases have reduced significantly due to changes in agricultural practices.
“So far, the cases referred to RECS involve 50% of Malaysians and involve patients who engage in outdoor activities such as gardening, cleaning the house, walking on uneven paths and trying to hunt wild animals without proper protection and training.
“They are the most exposed to injuries from wildlife,” said the senior consultant emergency physician when met in his office at Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
In 2023, RECS, which has 13 consultant emergency physicians who worked voluntarily, had been consulted on more than 4,900 cases since 2017. Cases involved bites and stings from jellyfish, spinous fish, hornets, spiders, scorpions, centipedes and snakes throughout the country.
The highest number of cases came from Sarawak at 22%, followed by Pahang (18%), Perak (16%) and 10% of cases in Sabah and Selangor.
Most cases involve snake bites, accounting for 80%, followed by jellyfish and hornet stings at 20%; with 3% and 2% of consultations related to arthropods and poisoning from mushrooms or animals, respectively.
So far, five deaths involving snake bites have been recorded by RECS in Malaysia between 2017 and 2021, followed by three deaths from hornet stings, two deaths from box jellyfish stings, and two deaths from tetrodotoxin poisoning (a type of poison found in pufferfish) .
On raising better awareness of safety culture, Dr Ahmad Khaldun said Malaysia needs to take a leaf from Japan where they have instilled safety awareness from a young age.
“People should be aware of preventive measures to avoid harm when encountering potentially dangerous animals or organisms.
“Each case related to poison will require a specific medical treatment and observation. If the victims are given optimal care, the patients will recover well,” he added.
Dr Ahmad Khaldun is currently working with property developers to raise awareness on how communities can safely deal with wildlife in their housing area.
“We need to reduce human-animal conflict by educating people,” he said.
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