Fishnet Entrapment of Samar Cobras (Naja samarensis) in Rural Eastern Visayas: Rethinking Community-Level Snakebite...

Snakebite envenomation remains a substantial public health burden in the Philippines, particularly in the Eastern Visayas, where the Samar cobra (Naja samarensis) is endemic. In rural communities without trained snake handlers or formal relocation services, residents may install perimeter barriers against venomous snakes. We report three incidents of N. samarensis entrapment on a residential fishnet fence in Barangay Pangasugan, Baybay City, Leyte, between July 2025 and March 2026. All three snakes died of entanglement; no human envenomation occurred, in part because no resident attempted removal. The fishnet had been installed with the explicit intent of trapping, not merely deterring, snakes, a strategy carrying substantial risk of secondary envenomation. These observations reflect not resident negligence but a structural gap in community-level snakebite prevention. We argue for locally led snake rescuer training, structured education, environmental risk reduction, and improved antivenom positioning, integrated with the WHO 2030 snakebite roadmap.