CHON BURI: US and Thai marines slurped snake blood and ate scorpions in a jungle survival programme on Monday as part of the two nations’ annual Cobra Gold war games.

Now in its 37th year, Cobra Gold is one of the largest military exercises in Asia, bringing thousands of troops from the United States, Thailand and other countries for 10 days of field training on Thai shores.

On Monday, several dozen US and Thai marines took park in an annual jungle survival drill on a Thai navy base in Chonburi province, where troops took turns drinking blood from a severed cobra before grilling and eating the snakes.

Thai military trainers also taught the group — which included South Korean troops — how to remove venom from scorpions and tarantulas before eating them, find water in jungle vines and identity edible plants. “The key to survival is knowing what to eat,” said Thai Sergeant Major Chaiwat Ladsin, who led the drill that also saw the marines take bites of a raw gecko.

“Definitely my first time drinking snake blood... It’s not something we do too often in America,” US Sergeant Christopher Fiffie said after the training.

“I think I’ll be able to hold my own out there,” he added. “The biggest take was how exactly they get their water as well as the vegetation that you can eat.”

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2018