Our Correspondent
Imphal, Nov. 9 (EMN): The Northeastern states lack proper data and documents relating to snake diversity, according to wellknown reptile consultant Vishal Santra.
“The snake’s related data are not available for Northeast. So we need to generate such data to work on conserving our biodiversity,” said Santra, a researcher in snake projects in India.
“Saving and conserving snakes mean protecting our crop land as snakes mostly prey on rodents”, he said.
Attending a public interaction trip to Tamenglong district headquarters, Santra said rodent population would increase dramatically which would affect crop production if the world’s snakes were eliminated.
Apart from the threat to food security posed by rodent population growth, increased disease outbreaks would put a burden on the health services to many countries, especially developing ones.
The freelance herpetologist, who works for a society – Simultala Conservationists, opined that the public should be made aware that anti-snake venom is available in government hospitals.
Stating that there are many snake species in Northeast region and most of them are non-venomous, he said “we still need to do proper study as most of the information available about snakes in the country hardly reflects snakes of this region.”
Informing that they have conducted a study in Mizoram on the state’s snake diversity, he said they are planning to do some study in Manipur and Tamenglong in particular considering its biodiversity, next season.
“So far, we have found 86 species of snakes including eight venomous ones which are not similar to species found in the country” he added.
It was observed that absence of proper data of snake-bite cases has resulted in meagre distribution of anti-venom serums in the region. On the other hand very few pharmacies here kept such vaccines because of its less demand, while some physicians are reportedly reluctant to prescribe the available anti-snake venom vaccines to the victims with reasons known to them. Due to non availability of the medical attention, victims go to paramilitary forces camp for treatment.
“We’ll be discussing such issues in the upcoming district and state-level meetings under National Health Mission programmes,” a senior medical officer said when sought his comment on such issues in hospitals.
The National Health Profile of 2018 reported that Assam recorded the maximum number of snake-bite cases in the Northeast from January to December 2017.
In 2017, there were 810 snake-bite cases in Assam with no death records. However Meghalaya which has a total of 244 snake-bite cases has two death cases while altogether 505 snake-bite cases with one death reported from Tripura. Mizoram reported 265 cases, Nagaland 124, Manipur 109, Sikkim 101 and Arunachal Pradesh 24 cases respectively without any death reports in 2017.
