My guide, Thai American snake expert Christopher Shannon, caught it in the beam of his flashlight, the snake’s chartreuse skin a few swatches brighter than the tall grasses it was trying to blend into.

This is a fact that snakes play an important role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. They control rodent populations and serve as important links in the food chain. Without them, it is possible that many natural habitats would become ecologically imbalanced.

I had come here on an excursion with Bangkok Herping, a new walking-tour outfit that swaps the Thai capital city’s predictable after-dark activities for an expert-guided deep dive into a side of the city most visitors miss out on: its urban wildlife.