My two cents on the Chandrabora conundrum

Unlike Cobras and Kraits, a Chandrabora-bitten patient may get a little more time to reach the hospital. Photo: Auritro Sattar

From what I have learnt from Madras Crocodile Bank Park visit in the past, I would say that although the action of the venom of Chandrabora starts immediately, it first acts on the muscles and blood. Later on, on other organs, destroying these in the process.

This may lead to an opportunity to take a Chandrabora snake bite patient to a medical centre or hospital. But our well-known Gokhra or cobra and very unknown but the most common and responsible for most snake bites that usually kill many people in the country, are the Kal Keutey or krait. Their bites and envenomation immediately start damaging nerves.

As a result, the patient becomes unconscious, or the eyelids, tongue, arms, and limbs become immobile, and ultimately the lungs and heart stop working, leading to the patient's hastened death. As a result, cobra and krait bite patients may have less time to reach a hospital.

Whereas, the Chandrabora-bitten patient may get a little more time to reach the hospital, provided the victims are kept calm and not agitated by relatives or onlookers before he or she reaches a medical centre equipped with antivenin.

Natural cycle increases predator and prey species

I hope our doctors are well trained and equipped to treat snakebite patients. We are now in the summer. We must also consider that this is the breeding season for many rodents, birds, and lizards.

These are unexpectedly the prey species of many other snakes and other predatory animals, including the Chandrabora.

So, with the onset of summer, the number of such animals is going to increase. Therefore, for the temporary and annual growth of other predatory animals and snakes, including Chandrabora, hospitals or special medical centres near viper prone areas need to have an adequate stock of antivenin or antivenom to prevent the reaction of venom entering the human body through snake strikes.

I have a few suggestions to address the current situation prevailing due to the unusual increase in Chandrabora, its fatal strikes, and the subsequent deaths of a few people in the country.

Necessity of safety gumboots and hand gloves

First and foremost, the farmers in Chandrabora prone areas should be provided with proper gumboots and hand gloves. Mind it, Chandrabora Shap has two pairs of retractile, foldable fangs instead of one pair of cobras and kraits.

Moreover, the front pair, which is usually used while striking a human or other animal, is followed by a second pair, just behind the first, in case the first pair is lost and handy for use almost instantly.

Both pairs are covered in a smooth membrane. On average, a Russell's Viper fang may measure 16.5 mm or 0.65 inch.

So, these are the longest fangs of any of the 104 or more species of snakes we have in the country (MAR Khan, 2015, Wildlife of Bangladesh: Checklist cum guide. Chayanbithi, Dhaka).

Mind it, our Raj Gokhra or King Cobra, the largest venomous snake in the world, has a pair fanged to the front side of the upper jaw and may measure about 12.7 mm, while that of our Gokhra or Cobras may not measure more than 7.6 mm. 

So, common sense dictates that the rubber gumboots available in our markets might have a rubber thickness of less than 10 mm or even less. So, these gumboots may not be so suitable to prevent a fatal strike by a Russell's viper.

Instead of lungi or loin clothes, the farmers working in Chandrabora prone areas wear tough jeans and pants, along with snake safety boots and gloves.

Therefore, the government must sit with the rubber boot manufacturer, medical practitioners, and wildlife biologists studying snakes to determine the thickness of the rubber in the anti-snake bite gumboots.

The thickness needed might be over 17 mm, to be on the safe side. In addition, the toe segment of the boot may need a tougher material than the leg section of the boot up to the knee or roughly 60 cm high neck.

If needed, the government may give subsidies to farms for making snakebite-proof rubber gumboots that could be sold at a cheaper rate in the snake-prone areas.

Also, the government may encourage the huge garment sector to donate jeans and pants to some farmers as a part of their CSR (corporate social responsibility) programmes.

The quacks and Ojha, or snake charmers/snake farmers, must be restrained from treating snakebite patients. And if they disobey, the government must take proper action to punish the lawbreakers.

Use current opportunity to catch Chandrabora snake and remove from the area

The government must make a temporary delisting of the Chandrabora snake or Russell's viper from the Wildlife Protection or Conservation Act so that people who accidentally or out of fear and to save one's life kill it do not face any penalty for killing a protected species.

It is necessary to catch these snakes without killing them in Chandrabora prone areas. Except for a handful of species of venomous snakes, all other non-venomous and less venomous snakes benefit people, especially farmers, by eating rodents and preventing extensive damage to crops.

That is why it is necessary to seek the help of those who are rescuing snakes all over the country. In this work, instead of taking the help of all the rescuers, first the rescuers of Chandrabora area can be invited by the forest department, or jointly by the forest department and the agriculture department, or by the representatives of the local government with those of the snake-rescuing NGOs.

Invited rescuers are to be provided with snake rescue gear and equipment, in addition to local hospitality or a pre-agreed fee to cover the rescue operations for a certain period.

A snake farm could be a solution to antivenin production

A "snake farm"-like place must be created at Bangabandhu Safari Park in Gazipur to house all the rescued snakes. These snakes, especially the Chandrabora, can be conserved and bred. Venom can be collected from these farmed and rescued snakes and later used in the production of antivenin, either at home or abroad.

Otherwise, antivenin can be bought from farms in the country and abroad, where the Chandrabora venom might be bartered for buying Antivenin or purchased at a reduced price.

I believe there are other people in the country, other than Professor Farid Ahsan and his compatriots, who can help in rescuing snakes, rearing them and collecting venom, or processing it to make antivenin.

Some Misconceptions

There are some misconceptions about snakes in general and Chandrabora Shap in particular that need to be addressed by people at the grassroots level.

First and foremost, no snake or wildlife harms human beings unless they go near wild animals.  Farmers are forced to work in open fields barefoot and glove-free.

Moreover, these farmers are not capable of buying these gadgets because they are basically poor. So, the government, NGOs, and philanthropists should supply the necessary gadgets to people in snake-prone areas of the country.

When there are more rats, mice, lizards, and frogs, we can expect more snakes to be there to eat the prey species. Bunds and embankments between neighbouring fields with bushes and hedges encourage prey species to breed, and snakes find hiding places in such covered areas.

So, crop fields need to be kept clear of hiding places for snakes, rats, and mice. Rather, crop fields should have some trees that can allow snake eating birds of prey to perch and prey on the snakes.

Can snakes take revenge?

Memory power does not allow the snakes to take revenge on any human being. All their decisions are instant because, by default, snakes and most animals think other animals are either their food or their enemies. Only when they encounter adversaries face-to-face, or very close to them, as a defence or safety of nests, eggs, and babies, do they react instantly.

Snakes only get scared and become defensive, and they will land a jab when a person's hand or leg reaches too close to them or steps on them. Snakes do not chase a human being but strike only when they suddenly see a human being within a striking distance and feel threatened. After a strike, a snake withdraws immediately, fleeing to the nearest cover or hole.

Snakes do not follow a victim or its family to take revenge. This is a human trait and not one of the wild animals, barring possibly chimpanzees, elephants, and a handful of others.

No Ojha, snake charmer, quack, or religious figure should prescribe any medicine, mantra, or administer any special drug to the snake bite victim.

Virtually no first aid is available for snake bite victims, but the antivenin application

If a person has received a bite from a venomous snake, he/she can only be treated with snake-specific antivenin without wasting time trying to look for first aid. Also, this antivenin is to be administered by trained physicians or health workers following antivenom administration protocol.

The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has given certain tips for handling snake bite victims, as stated below.

Once a person is sure of receiving a snake bite, he or she immediately seeks help from others to carry them, the victims, to the nearest hospital, in a vehicle, and with the least movement of his or her body. There is no alternative to rushing a victim to the nearest health centre or hospital for antivenin. No other medicine or means can save venomous snake bite victims.

Environmental importance of Russell's Vipers

The Russell's Viper is a protected species under Section 6(1) of the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, 2012.

These snakes play a significant role in maintaining environmental balance and biodiversity by controlling rodent populations and contributing to the production of lifesaving medicines from their venom.

Killing these snakes is a punishable offence, and the public is advised against such actions.