Snakes of Myanmar: The very bad and beautiful

It’s been a shocking month for two sisters from Na Htoe Gyi. On a grim afternoon, their brother arrived terrified after being bitten by a Viper, the world’s second most dangerous snake. He is among the 10,000 people bitten by snakes while 1,000 people lose their lives each year in Myanmar.

UAung was rushed to hospital and administered an antivenom then released.

At home U Aung condition deteriorated so in despair his sisters called on a traditional healer for advice.

It took an army of volunteers from Snakes of Myanmar to convince him that the appropriate free treatment, an antivenom for a viper and transport could be provided at a larger hospital in Mandalay.

He is man is lucky and is today in recovery.

The Russell’s Viper is a beautiful solitary creature that blends into the soil waiting for unsuspecting craps or scorpions. Yet try picking it up or if it feels threatened, and the creature will let you know.

The vast majority of Myanmar’s 176 snake species are harmless. Without provocation these creatures go about their business ignoring humans, bar the viper.

In a nation filled with diverse habitats, snakes have adapted to living in mountains and deserts and developed unique survival attributes and skills. There’s the flying snake of the dry forests and crafty Cobra that has been witness raiding fishing traps.

Myanmar snakes are the intrigue the world, with wonderous colors from brightest blues, yellows to greens and beautiful patterns that camouflage them into the environment.

“Myanmar has a wonderful diversity of reptiles. There tiny eight inches long snakes and to others stretching over 20 feet,” said George Zug, Emeritus Research Zoologist.

While generally harmless there are few people who know how to respond when coming in contact with a snake.

“Most of the people in Myanmar are afraid of the snakes, and when they see one their instinct is to kill,” said Myint Kyaw Thura, Herpetologist and Myanmar Environment Sustainable Conservation.

Experts are adamant that snakes are less dangerous to us than we are to them.

“Leave the snake alone. Even inside a building if some windows and doors are left open a snake will generally leave of its own accord. Outdoors snakes will leave the area if disturbed,” said Williams. “All of my bites (four venomous) None of them were the snakes' fault, all of them mine.”

The Myanmar Fire Services Department are commonly called on to remove snakes from backyards. Without killing the animal, will be removed to save ground, even the most venomous.

Of all Myanmar snakes a few have venom that is potentially fatal. The viper, cobras, kraits, and the stunning green pit viper are the most venomous, other snake bites will be painful.

In 2010, Kyi Soe Lwin, General Manager Education, Yangon Zoo was documenting every known species in the country. “My hand got in the space of a green pit viper, the only snake to spit venom. Their bite usually isn’t fatal, but excruciatingly painful.”

Between his fingers is a slight scar, that’s the entry point for teeth of the snake’s bite. “As soon as I was bitten my hand began to swell. After a few hours, my arm had swollen like a balloon. For two weeks the pain was excruciating, and for another month only just manageable,” said Kyi Soe Lwin.

Snakes have always fascinated humans. It’s the way they move their bodies, beautiful, terrifying and powerful.