Snake species threatened by habitat loss, rampant killing

Kathmandu, Sept 1: Out of 84 recorded species of snakes in Nepal, 26 have been recorded in and around Bardiya National Park (BNP) and associated forest corridors.

Among the recorded species of snakes, five are fatally venomous. There are two species of common Krait, two species of Russel’s Viper, and one species of King Cobra, said Dr. Rabin Kadariya, Conservation Officer, National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) in Bardiya Conservation Programme. The species were recorded last year in the area, he said.

Nepal’s snake diversity and that of BNP, in particular, is threatened by habitat degradation, nest damage, road killing, and indiscriminate killing attributable to unfavourable perception of snakes, Dr. Kadariya said.

Herpetologist and retired professor Karan Bahadur Shah said that snakes are very important for a balanced ecosystem. They help to increase agriculture production by eating rats in the farmland. 

He said that there are misconceptions that all snakes are venomous but not all snakes are dangerous. “We need to remove that misunderstanding among the people and make them aware that snakes are the most important reptiles for a balanced ecosystem. They reduce 50 per cent of the rat population,” he said.

These days venom of snake is used for the production of World Health Organisations’ prescribed medicines. Most people cannot 

differentiate between venomous and non-venomous snakes and assume that all snakes are dangerous and must be killed. 

It is important to change people’s attitudes about snakes and the conservation awareness needed to protect the legless reptiles that play an important role in the environment. The information on snakes was collected from BNP and its buffer zone in 2010–2021 from the database of NTNC.

 The globally threatened King Cobra was also recorded in Bardiya which is a good sign of snake conservation within the BNP, Dr. Kadariya said. 

The government has also formulated National Guidelines for Snakebite Management in Nepal. According to the management plan, snakebite is an important occupational hazard affecting farmers, plantation workers, herders and fishermen.

The agriculturally prosperous Terai region with its hot climate, high seasonal rainfall, lush natural vegetation, high density of rodents, rich reptiles and amphibian flora makes an ideal habitat for the snakes to live and increase the availability of marshy land to undergo hibernation. The abundance of snake and human activities, mainly agriculture, increases the man–snake encounter leading to snakebite. Nocturnal snakebite is also common in Nepal due to the sleeping habits, the government paper read.

According to a research “Distribution of King Cobra in Nepal” by conservationist Karan Bahadur Shah and his team, very little information is available on the distribution of globally threatened King Cobra in Nepal. Based on both field surveys and literature review, the study reveals that King Cobra has been found in 37 districts of the country with 219 individual records since its first record in 1974. 

These records show that the King Cobra is rather widely distributed in Nepal.

According to an Updated Checklist of Amphibians and Reptiles of Nepal by Tapil Prakash Rai, Sabin Adhikari and Pablo Garcia Antón on July 22, in total, the amphibian fauna of Nepal consists of 57 species in 22 types, eight families, and three orders, while the reptilian fauna of Nepal consists of 143 species in 71 genera, 20 families, and three orders.

Research done by snake expert Kamal Devkota and his team revealed that snake research tends to be a low-priority issue in Nepal and very little information mostly confined to populations in small areas.

The study also found that the major threats to venomous snakes like King Cobras are deliberate killing by humans and large-scale habitat loss due to an increasing human population.

King Cobras rarely bite humans unless provoked or harmed. Characteristic hooding behaviour, hissing, and striking are defensive behaviours meant to intimidate natural predators. Because King Cobras are much larger than other venomous snakes, they are easily recognized, the research said.

In Nepal, approximately 20,000 venomous snake bites are recorded per year, and approximately 1,000 people die, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates.