Forest rangers receive a rare python

Sympathy for... snakes

The love for the beauty of nature and wildlife for Mr. Tran Xuan Hai, Deputy Director of Phong Dien Nature Reserve Management Board, was kindled when he was still in school. Every season when migratory birds came to nest and breed, his group of school friends at that time bought slingshots to shoot birds. At times like that, Mr. Hai often stopped his friends from doing this. The love for wildlife for the young man probably started from there...

Being recruited to work at Phong Dien Nature Reserve with Anh Hai was like fate. Deep down, he loves all wildlife species the same, of which snakes are one of the species that he has encountered, associated with many memories from his school days.

Hai still remembers, when he was young, he heard many people say that whoever meets a snake will be lucky and study well. It was a coincidence, but it made students like Hai at that time "have more faith" every time after meeting a snake, the students all got high scores in their studies. It was also from that that the young man loved animals and snakes even more. Hai used to hold back tears when witnessing dishes made from snakes, bottles of wine soaked with this reptile...

Snakes, like many other wild animals, also have maternal and spousal love. When he was a child, he witnessed touching scenes of mother snakes trying their best to protect their young from swarms of rats. The mother snake curled up to protect her young and fiercely fought back against the rats that needed food. Once, he witnessed a pair of "husband and wife" snakes entwined together in the middle of a fast-flowing stream during flood season.

Tran Xuan Hai once proposed to the unit and superiors to pay more attention to activities of searching for and conserving snake species. On each patrol or mobile communication trip, he and the unit's conservation officers always bring pictures of snake species with them. When going to residential areas, they always bring pictures of snake species, especially rare and endangered species, so that people can recognize, understand and join hands with the authorities to have effective conservation and protection measures.

White-lipped green pit viper in Phong Dien Nature Reserve

Mr. Hai shared that the activities of protecting and preserving snake species in recent years have received more attention, with many positive changes in people's awareness. In many restaurants, jars of snake wine rarely appear. However, in many places, especially among indigenous people living near forests and lagoons, there is still a situation of secretly hunting snakes to prepare food or sell to restaurants. "If this invasive behavior continues, the number of snakes will decrease and many species of snakes will be at risk of extinction," Mr. Hai warned.

Conservation efforts

Thua Thien Hue (now Hue City) has a rich ecosystem with about 50 recorded snake species, many of which are endemic. The good news is that a new snake species has recently been discovered in the Bach Ma mountain area, named Bach Ma green snake (Ptyas bachmaensis). This discovery not only affirms the biodiversity of the area, but also opens up opportunities for wildlife conservation here.

Mr. Le Ngoc Tuan, Head of the City Forest Protection Department, said that the city is facing many challenges in the conservation of snake species. Many threatened snake species such as the pit viper (Trimeresurus spp) and the cobra (Naja spp) are in an alarming state. A study from the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources shows that the number of pit vipers in natural forest areas has decreased by more than 40% in the past 20 years due to deforestation and urbanization. This decline causes great concern for the survival of snake species as well as the ecological balance in the area.

Habitat loss is one of the biggest challenges to snake conservation in Hue. Urban development and population growth have led to the expansion of infrastructure, putting great pressure on natural habitats. Forests, swamps and wetlands - which are considered ideal habitats for many snake species - are gradually being replaced by housing, commercial areas and other development projects.

Whip snake in Phong Dien Nature Reserve

The hunting of snakes for use in traditional medicine and food not only puts great pressure on snake populations, but also reduces biodiversity in the area, seriously affecting the ecosystems where they live. Furthermore, climate change is also putting additional pressure on natural habitats. Habitat loss is not only a problem for snakes but also affects their entire ecosystems, threatening the ecological balance.

Mr. Le Ngoc Tuan informed that in this worrying context, Hue has implemented many programs to conserve snake species and their habitats. One of the outstanding efforts is to maintain and expand natural forest habitats in Bach Ma National Park, Phong Dien Nature Reserve and pay more attention to patrolling and law enforcement activities on wildlife protection in general and snake conservation in particular.

The city's forest rangers have been active in protecting snakes. In 2024 alone, the forest rangers received two reticulated pythons (Python reticulatus) and two ground pythons (Morelia spilota) from people who voluntarily surrendered them. These are reptiles in the list of endangered, precious, and rare forest animals in group IIB. These python species are not yet threatened with extinction, but are at risk of being threatened if not strictly managed, and exploitation and use for commercial purposes are not restricted. Both of these individuals were cared for and then released into the natural environment, contributing to the recovery of the local python and snake population. These actions not only help protect pythons and snakes but also encourage the community's sense of responsibility in wildlife conservation.

Community education and propaganda activities have also been actively and extensively deployed by the forestry sector to each residential area and household. Non-governmental organizations and local authorities have organized many seminars and educational programs to raise people's awareness of the importance of snakes in the ecosystem. Communication campaigns have contributed to reducing the fear of snakes, thereby encouraging people to participate in protecting them. Conservation of snake species is not only the responsibility of the government but also requires active participation and action from each individual.

According to experts, out of a total of 88 species of amphibians and reptiles in Phong Dien Nature Reserve, there are 20 species of snakes belonging to 3 different families. Based on the results of the study of species composition in Phong Dien Nature Reserve, according to the Vietnam Red Book (2007), Decree 84/2021/ND-CP, the results have identified up to 24 species of amphibians and reptiles as endangered and threatened, including 2 species of amphibians and 22 species of reptiles at different levels.


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