Lidingshan, a popular hiking route in Majia Township, Pingtung County, has recently seen sightings of hundred-pace vipers. On the afternoon of the 3rd, an 80-centimeter-long, 8-centimeter-wide large hundred-pace viper was spotted, prompting hikers to immediately call the police, who successfully captured it. Tsai Yao-shun, chief of the Neipu Police Sub-bureau, stated that hundred-pace vipers are not naturally aggressive toward humans, and the public should remain calm and avoid trying to drive them away if they spot one.
On the afternoon of the 3rd, Officer Cao Enzhi of the Neipu Police Sub-bureau received a report of a hundred-pace viper on Lidingshan. He immediately contacted the fire department and ascended the mountain via the No. 4 hiking entrance of Lidingshan. After about 40 minutes of walking, they reached the rest area of the Acacia Forest Trail, where they found an 80-centimeter-long, 8-centimeter-wide hundred-pace viper coiled near the railing of the resting zone.
The police officer and firefighters took out snake-catching tools and carefully approached without startling the snake, successfully capturing it. Tsai Yao-shun said that hundred-pace vipers are commonly found in mountainous areas and prefer habitats with rocky terrain. They can be spotted at altitudes ranging from 100 to 1,400 meters, and Lidingshan is one of their habitats.
He explained that hundred-pace vipers do not attack humans unless provoked, and if people spot one, they should stay calm, avoid panicking or attempting to drive the snake away, and instead notify the relevant authorities. Nearby residents of the Paiwan tribe mentioned that the hundred-pace viper holds special cultural significance among the Paiwan and Rukai peoples. Generally, when tribe members encounter a hundred-pace viper, they quietly move away without disturbing or capturing it, showing reverence and avoiding danger.
(China Times)