Chanchal Gola | Ramnagar
Along with tigers and leopards, snakes are becoming increasingly fatal for humans living in the Terai forest areas in Ramnagar. With the snake attack adding to the intensity of the human-wildlife conflict, the insecure people living dangerously in close vicinity to the forest are venting their anger against the administration deemed indifferent to their worsening vulnerability to wildlife attacks. They fear that the menace will further intensify once the monsoon rain starts. However, the forest department said that the people cooperate with them in capturing snakes to be released into the forest.
The data shows that 25 people have been bitten by snakes in Ramnagar forest division since 2020 out of whom one died. In Corbett Tiger Reserve, on the other hand, snakes have bitten 24 people since 2021 out of whom two people died. In the high-altitude Terai Western Division, 60 people have been bitten by snakes since 2020 and the reptile venom proved fatal for 13 of them.
To mitigate snake bite cases in the vulnerable areas, the forest department has been conducting awareness campaigns among the people to keep them out of harm’s way. Once they are informed of the snake’s presence, forest staff reach the spot and capture them to be released deep into the forest.
Speaking of the matter, the DFO, Tarai, P C Arya said that snakes play an important role in maintaining environmental balance. “People are now more aware than earlier. We have provided mobile numbers of the forest staff to the villagers. If a snake enters somebody’s house, the people promptly inform them. Our team at once rushes in and captures the snake. In the past four years, the department has successfully rescued more than two thousand snakes and released them in the forest. Along with this, the department has made a provision of giving compensation of Rs six lakhs to the family in case of snake bite death. Besides, Rs 1.5 lakhs is paid in case of serious injury and Rs 15,000 in case of minor injury,” he added.
The noted snake specialist, Chandrasen Kashyap said that with the villages in the Terai region being situated close to forest, snakes steal into the villagers’ homes while swimming through the streams and nalas. “To prevent snake attacks, the people should install nets at the opening of the pipes of their houses. Besides, they should not allow garbage to accumulate in and near their homes,” he added.
He further said that all snakes are not poisonous. “The most poisonous among them is the King Cobra. But there have been no cases of people having fallen prey to King Cobra. Most of the deaths in the Terai region are caused by the Krait species. Moreover, Python, Red Snake and some other species do not have poison,” he said, adding that unlike the past, the villagers do not kill snakes out of fear and inform the foresters instead.
