A surge of incorrect information on social media approximately Russell’s Viper, regionally called Chandrabora, is inflicting giant fear in Chattogram, leading to the indiscriminate killing of snakes. Experts warn this can seriously impact biodiversity and agriculture, as snakes play a crucial role in controlling pests.
Experts assert that the presence of Russell’s Viper in hilly areas like Chattogram and Sylhet is rather unbelievable. They urge towards unnecessary snake killings and emphasize public cognizance. Government companies, consisting of the Forest Department, are actively running to teach the public.
In latest incidents, terrified locals killed numerous snakes, such as non-venomous pythons, mistaking them for Russell’s Vipers. These killings, going on in districts together with Chattogram’s Lohagara and Anwara, and Cox’s Bazar’s Ramu, have been spurred by misinformation spread on social media, with pics of the killings circulating broadly.
Dipannita Bhattacharjee, Chattogram Wildlife and Nature Conservation officer, highlighted that these killings stem from incorrect information and careworn the want for multiplied public awareness. She recognized the snakes killed in Lohagara as a Burmese python and a spherical-tailed python, and in Ramu as a Burmese python. The identity of the snake killed in Anwara stays unsure.
Dr. Aniruddha Ghose, predominant investigator of the Venom Research Centre, mentioned that even as vintage records mention Russell’s Viper in Chattogram, there were no latest sightings or fatalities from its chunk in the district. He reassured the general public that there may be enough stock of antivenom in district and upazila hospitals nationwide, urging people now not to panic.
The latest deaths from Chandrabora bites in Manikganj, Jashore, and Dhaka have fueled social media posts claiming a enormous presence of Russell’s Viper in the country. However, Mohammad Abdul Wahed Chowdhury, a snake researcher and associate professor of zoology at Chittagong University, debunked those claims. He clarified that Russell’s Viper, like other snakes, best moves when threatened and regularly offers a warning hiss. Its venom, at the same time as risky, isn’t always without delay fatal, and it does not assault unprovoked like the African black mamba.
Chowdhury also mentioned that over the past two decades, Russell’s Viper has been sighted in restrained areas throughout 25-26 districts along the Padma River, on the whole in agricultural lands and dense vegetation. He emphasised that the presence of this snake in hilly areas like Chattogram and Sylhet is unlikely due to negative environmental situations.
The expert warned that killing snakes disrupts the ecological stability, potentially main to expanded populations of harmful insects and rodents. This ought to considerably affect agricultural production, particularly of rice and wheat, and will bring about outbreaks of rodent-borne diseases. He urged the public to recognize the significance of snakes in retaining ecological stability and to keep away from needless killings.