A man was killed by a cobra he trapped in a jungle in Preah Vihear province on Monday after the venomous snake bit him on the hand.

The victim, 37-year-old Yearm Tak, lived in Samlanh village in Sangkum Thmei district’s Phnom Tbeng I commune, where the incident occurred, according to district police chief Chhuon Moeun.

“He was a hunter, but he didn’t know of any magic to catch the snake,” he said.

Tak is survived by his 30-year-old wife Sreyna and two children.

Citing Sreyna’s accounts, Moeun said Tak encountered the snake after returning from a mountain to look for wild animals, fruits and leaves to sell.

Tak killed the cobra after it bit him. He then ran out of the forest carrying the snake, which was 3m long and weighed more than 3kg. He searched for help and encountered someone named Trav at the foot of the mountain, but died after exchanging only a few words.

Trav then informed the villagers, who retrieved Tak’s body to prepare it for a traditional funeral.

He added that district authorities contributed money for the funeral arrangements.

Oddar Meanchey provincial Department of Health director Khlok Huot told The Post on Tuesday that the number of snake bites in his province has decreased, although they are still a daily occurrence.

He said cobras are fierce animals, but there are medicines to treat their poisonous bites.

He urged citizens to remain vigilant and protect themselves when entering forests and farms.

“This decrease [in bites] is due to the people’s rising awareness of the hazards. When they go to the rice fields or the forest, they are more careful.

“If they are bitten by a snake, they no longer seek out Khmer traditional healers, they go to hospital for treatment,” he said.