Russell's Viper is trending on Bangladeshi social media, and misinformation about the snake is causing panic among citizens.
Contrary to popular belief, Russell’s Viper is not the most venomous snake in Bangladesh. The median lethal dose (intensity of venom) of Russell’s Viper is less than that of the Cobra. Furthermore, the Common Krait is responsible for the most snake bite-related deaths in Bangladesh.
Zohra Mila, a wildlife and biodiversity conservation officer of the Bangladesh Forest Department, said: “Russell’s Viper does not attack people unless threatened. The snake doesn't even come inside houses as it likes to avoid people.”
She added: “Sightings of Russell’s Vipers have increased due to recent flooding and food availability for the snake. The snake primarily eats mongoose, lizards and mice.”
She said that due to the population of these prey animals going down, some snakes are searching for food elsewhere.
“To prevent snake bites, one should make noises or use torches before entering the paddy field,” said Mila.
Data from Rajshahi Medical College show that in the 2013-2023 period, 202 patients were admitted there after getting bitten by Russell’s Viper. Among them, 30% lost their lives.
Syeda Anannya Faria, compliance and development officer of the Deep Ecology and Snake Conservation Foundation (DESCF) said: “Death in this case mostly happens because of the late admission of patients after snake bites. Many patients in Bangladesh still visit shamans after getting snake bites.”
“There are many cases of hospitalized patients who were removed by their families to take them to shamans. They came back to the hospital after the situation deteriorated,” she added.
A team of DESCF recently visited four chars of Manikganj’s Harirampur Upazila to assess the recent situation. According to Faria, the transportation system of the char is a big reason for snake bite related deaths.
The only transportation from these chars to the mainland is trawlers and boats, which takes at least an hour. However, trawlers have a specific schedule, which limits the transportation by the slower method of boats.
The DESCF team experienced a cobra bite case themselves during the visit. They transported the patient by bike and then trawler to Faridpur Sadar Hospital, where the patient received antivenom.
Another misconception about Russell's Viper is that there is no functioning antivenom. In reality, the government is providing free antivenoms in the Sadar hospitals and upazila health complexes. The private pharmaceutical company Incepta is also selling antivenoms for Russell’s Viper, Cobra, Common Krait and the Saw-scaled Viper.
“There are some examples where a patient was bitten by a non-venomous snake and died of a heart attack,” said Anannya Faria.
According to her, a patient should be transported to the hospital quickly after a snake bite to get proper medical treatment.
Faria said: “Panic surges every year during the breeding season of Russell’s Viper. But this year it is more.”
She said that the clickbaity titles of some media reports helped to increase the panic.
“Russell’s Viper is still in its aboriginal place on the banks of Padma, and it is not running towards Dhaka to attack the people as some media are portraying it,” she added.
Zohra Mila said: “Some media outlets are portraying the snake as a killing machine, which is untrue.”
The panic led to the killing of other snakes as well, which is bad for the ecosystem.
“The effects of a mass killing of snakes will be felt in the coming years,” said Anannya Faria.
“Pythons and Common Wolf Snakes are being misidentified as Russell’s Vipers and getting killed. Both the snakes are non-venomous. This will disrupt the food chain.”
Hunting snakes like Russell’s Viper is prohibited under the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, 2012.