Imagine reaching out to remove sun-dried laundry. You notice that the clothes line is hanging loose and instinctively reach for it, only to feel something slithering in your palms.
You have a closer look - what's in your hand is not raffia string but a long, thin brown snake.
This may seem like a replay of a worst nightmare for many. But Indonesian maid Fera, 38, found it only too real just a few weeks ago.
She has since re-lived the scenario daily, due to frequent 'visitors' from the snake-infested area near her employer’s backyard.
Snakes seem to have 'colonised' that part of the little neighbourhood of Taman Rahang, about 10 minutes away from the heart of Seremban, Negri Sembilan.
Fera’s employer, R Rajindren, claimed that the problem has persisted for over six months now, but that the authorities have not taken action.
Rajindren, 43, had a painful first-hand experience when he was bitten by a black baby cobra last Saturday evening.
“I was in the backyard, reading a newspaper and having tea. Suddenly I felt a stinging sensation on my hand. When I turned to look, I saw the baby snake on the table as it slithered away,” he said.
The bite caused numbness in three of his fingers. This has been a cause of extreme inconvenience as he works in the IT department of a bank in Kajang.
He said the problem began when two abandoned houses on KTM-owned land were demolished in February.
“Initially there were people living there. When they moved out in December, the houses were abandoned.”
Rajindren’s two-storey brick house is on slightly higher ground, while the abandoned houses are located lower down behind his backyard.
Apart from being a breeding ground for snakes and mosquitoes, the houses are also a hideout for drug addicts.
Rajindren’s ordeal began in early January when he was diagnosed with both dengue and chikungunya, which left him hospitalised for a week.
On Jan 25, he received another shock as five alleged drug addicts broke into his house to steal an aluminum ladder. One of them was caught and handed to the police.
He claimed that the clearing of a nearby jungle in June last year to make way for the Dusun-Nyoh highway had contributed to the problem.
This prompted him to lodge reports with the police and also three other agencies, namely the Seremban town council (MBS), the Health Ministry and Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM).
“There were several problems. So, I started the report with six complaints and MBS has taken care of five. They cleared the drain in front of the playground field, chopped down the trees, cleared the bushes, fixed the immediate drain next to my house."
Although there is still the problem of water stagnation in the drain next to his house, the MBS has attributed the problem to the structure of the main drain.
“But they said that they can’t do anything about the land behind the house because KTM would have to give approval for them to clear the land”.
Rajindren has constantly been calling KTM to alert them to the problem.
“In January, I told them about the abandoned houses. In February, they (KTM) came to demolish the houses but they just left the debris lying there,” he said, adding that he usually communicates with KTM by phone.
He has written to them twice through the state’s complaint bureau.
“They keep telling me that they will discuss this at meetings but nothing has been done since (the demolition of the houses).”
Snakes in the backyard
As both Rajindren and his wife work, leaving Fera alone in the house most of the time.
“I have seen at least two to three snakes every day,” said Fera, who has worked for the family for two-and-a-half years.
“The snakes intrude into the backyard and the house at least 21-24 days a month. They range in colour from green and yellow to black and once I saw a brown one with spots.”
The green ones, she says, are usually thin as “a grown man’s thumb”, adding that they usually come in the mornings and the evenings (when it is cooler).
Fera said that seeing the snakes on such a frequent basis has made them her “friends”, a euphemism she created in order not to frighten the children.
“I speak to the snakes. I tell them not to disturb us, saying 'if you’re here I can’t do my work',” she said.
The constant anxiety faced by the family is best summed up by Fera: “I am used to a thief (trying to breaking into a house) because at least you can see them from far away. But I can’t spot the snake from far away.
"So I am more anxious when I am washing the clothes. I have to keep a constant look out.”
Rajindren’s three children were playing in the backyard on the occasion he was bitten, and he claimed that the snake had almost bitten his youngest, R Loshinii, who is six years old.
When asked why he still allows the kids to play in the backyard knowing of the danger, he said: "They are children. They need to go out and play. I can’t lock them in the house.”
However, he said they are not allowed to play in the backyard without adult supervision.
“People have asked me why I don’t just move out. If they are willing to give me the cash, then I don’t mind,” he said, explaining that he bought the house just three years ago.
To add to their constant anxiety, last Saturday’s incident revealed a new development - that the snakes are moving closer to the house.
“The snakes had always lingered around the fence, but this is the first time that they entered the backyard,” he said.
Infrequent maintenance
When contacted, an official revealed that KTM has “limited resources” to clear the bushes and the debris.
“We don’t do maintenance frequently, maybe only one every three months. We can’t live up to the expectations of the local council,” he said requesting anonymity.
“Even when we do clean, we clean places close to the tracks, not (to the extent of) chopping the trees down.”
He also explained that because of the installation of the double tracks of the Seremban-Gemas track, there has been a mix of old and new reserves.
The contractor is in charge of the latter, and KTM is in charge of the older reserves.
However, the land is not neatly divided because old and new reserves might overlap. The land behind Rajindren’s backyard is one such plot.
The official said he would inform the contractor of the snake problem.
You have a closer look - what's in your hand is not raffia string but a long, thin brown snake.
This may seem like a replay of a worst nightmare for many. But Indonesian maid Fera, 38, found it only too real just a few weeks ago.She has since re-lived the scenario daily, due to frequent 'visitors' from the snake-infested area near her employer’s backyard.
Snakes seem to have 'colonised' that part of the little neighbourhood of Taman Rahang, about 10 minutes away from the heart of Seremban, Negri Sembilan.
Fera’s employer, R Rajindren, claimed that the problem has persisted for over six months now, but that the authorities have not taken action.
Rajindren, 43, had a painful first-hand experience when he was bitten by a black baby cobra last Saturday evening.
“I was in the backyard, reading a newspaper and having tea. Suddenly I felt a stinging sensation on my hand. When I turned to look, I saw the baby snake on the table as it slithered away,” he said.
The bite caused numbness in three of his fingers. This has been a cause of extreme inconvenience as he works in the IT department of a bank in Kajang.
He said the problem began when two abandoned houses on KTM-owned land were demolished in February.“Initially there were people living there. When they moved out in December, the houses were abandoned.”
Rajindren’s two-storey brick house is on slightly higher ground, while the abandoned houses are located lower down behind his backyard.
Apart from being a breeding ground for snakes and mosquitoes, the houses are also a hideout for drug addicts.
Rajindren’s ordeal began in early January when he was diagnosed with both dengue and chikungunya, which left him hospitalised for a week.
On Jan 25, he received another shock as five alleged drug addicts broke into his house to steal an aluminum ladder. One of them was caught and handed to the police.
He claimed that the clearing of a nearby jungle in June last year to make way for the Dusun-Nyoh highway had contributed to the problem.
This prompted him to lodge reports with the police and also three other agencies, namely the Seremban town council (MBS), the Health Ministry and Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM).
“There were several problems. So, I started the report with six complaints and MBS has taken care of five. They cleared the drain in front of the playground field, chopped down the trees, cleared the bushes, fixed the immediate drain next to my house."
Although there is still the problem of water stagnation in the drain next to his house, the MBS has attributed the problem to the structure of the main drain.“But they said that they can’t do anything about the land behind the house because KTM would have to give approval for them to clear the land”.
Rajindren has constantly been calling KTM to alert them to the problem.
“In January, I told them about the abandoned houses. In February, they (KTM) came to demolish the houses but they just left the debris lying there,” he said, adding that he usually communicates with KTM by phone.
He has written to them twice through the state’s complaint bureau.
“They keep telling me that they will discuss this at meetings but nothing has been done since (the demolition of the houses).”
Snakes in the backyard
As both Rajindren and his wife work, leaving Fera alone in the house most of the time.
“I have seen at least two to three snakes every day,” said Fera, who has worked for the family for two-and-a-half years.“The snakes intrude into the backyard and the house at least 21-24 days a month. They range in colour from green and yellow to black and once I saw a brown one with spots.”
The green ones, she says, are usually thin as “a grown man’s thumb”, adding that they usually come in the mornings and the evenings (when it is cooler).
Fera said that seeing the snakes on such a frequent basis has made them her “friends”, a euphemism she created in order not to frighten the children.
“I speak to the snakes. I tell them not to disturb us, saying 'if you’re here I can’t do my work',” she said.
The constant anxiety faced by the family is best summed up by Fera: “I am used to a thief (trying to breaking into a house) because at least you can see them from far away. But I can’t spot the snake from far away.
"So I am more anxious when I am washing the clothes. I have to keep a constant look out.”
Rajindren’s three children were playing in the backyard on the occasion he was bitten, and he claimed that the snake had almost bitten his youngest, R Loshinii, who is six years old.When asked why he still allows the kids to play in the backyard knowing of the danger, he said: "They are children. They need to go out and play. I can’t lock them in the house.”
However, he said they are not allowed to play in the backyard without adult supervision.
“People have asked me why I don’t just move out. If they are willing to give me the cash, then I don’t mind,” he said, explaining that he bought the house just three years ago.
To add to their constant anxiety, last Saturday’s incident revealed a new development - that the snakes are moving closer to the house.
“The snakes had always lingered around the fence, but this is the first time that they entered the backyard,” he said.
Infrequent maintenance
When contacted, an official revealed that KTM has “limited resources” to clear the bushes and the debris.
“We don’t do maintenance frequently, maybe only one every three months. We can’t live up to the expectations of the local council,” he said requesting anonymity.“Even when we do clean, we clean places close to the tracks, not (to the extent of) chopping the trees down.”
He also explained that because of the installation of the double tracks of the Seremban-Gemas track, there has been a mix of old and new reserves.
The contractor is in charge of the latter, and KTM is in charge of the older reserves.
However, the land is not neatly divided because old and new reserves might overlap. The land behind Rajindren’s backyard is one such plot.
The official said he would inform the contractor of the snake problem.
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