The terror of creeping cobras continues in the capital as residents of Kembangan district in West Jakarta made the terrifying discovery of tens of the venomous snakes appearing from inside their toilets on Sunday afternoon.

West Jakarta Fire and Rescue Agency operational head Eko Sumarno said the cobras — measuring an average of 20 centimeters — were from a nearby warehouse that used to be a pond.

“There were 18 cobras. They were from what previously was a pond and they crept inside the residents’ bathrooms through the drainage system,” he said as quoted by Antara on Sunday.

It took a group of four firemen around 30 minutes to finally catch all the snakes. The cobras were then taken to the Kembangan Fire and Rescue Agency headquarters.

“We plan to hand over the cobras to the Indonesia Sioux Snake Foundation in Serpong, Tangerang,” Eko added.

The homeowner, Hera, said the cobras were first found by her husband when he was about to use the bathroom. She said the drainage pipes in her house were connected to those in the warehouse belonging to her father.

She went on to say that workers in her father’s warehouse had previously encountered snakes, too. The warehouse is located near an empty plot of land and a cemetery where bamboo trees grow and they suspected that the snakes breed there.

The cemetery has just been renovated, Hera said, prompting speculation from the residents that the snakes were trying to find a new place to stay.

“Not long ago, my neighbors found a large snake, also in their toilet. They saw the snake’s head appear from the toilet,” she said, adding that she also once saw a hatchling snake creep into her bedroom.

Over the past few weeks, discoveries of creeping cobras were also reported in Ciracas, East Jakarta and in Bogor regency, West Java.

In Bogor last week 30 cobras measuring around 30 centimeters were caught after causing a scare among people living in the Royal Citayem housing complex in Bojong Gede district.

The venomous snakes were reportedly found in a garden located in the back of the housing complex.

Reptile observer Arbi Krisna said the appearance of cobras was unsurprising as most snake eggs hatched at this time of year.

“November until January is when snake eggs hatch. The eggs are laid about one or two months beforehand,” he said recently as reported by kompas.com.

He suggested people clean their living areas, particularly moist, dark and quiet places, which are the preferred spots for cobras to lay their eggs. (vla)