Volunteers for the safety of people and snakes

With their knowledge and passion, the members of the Snake Identification and First Aid for Snakebites in Vietnam (SIFASV) group not only help people prevent and provide first aid when bitten by snakes, but also help preserve many rare species.

SIFASV Facebook Page

In September 2021, a woman was brought to the emergency room of Lagi Regional General Hospital ( Binh Thuan ) with the body of an unidentified snake of unknown species, whether it was poisonous, and if so, what group of venom it belonged to.

Dr. Nguyen Hoang Nguyen quickly thought of the Snake Identification and First Aid for Snakebites in Vietnam (SIFASV) group and immediately posted the relevant images on the group's Facebook page. The experts in the group quickly identified it as a krait, a species of pit viper that is very common in Vietnam.

Thanks to timely identification, the patient received the right treatment and recovered faster. Similar stories then appeared more and more on SIFASV, while the team not only assisted in identification but also provided a lot of useful information related to the snake species.

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Identification, first aid

Notably, SIFASV was established only 3 months earlier and by October 2021, the group quickly attracted about 20,000 members. After more than 3 years, the group attracted more than 124,000 members and became a prominent group in providing a lot of useful information.

"That shows that the community's interest in this reptile group is very large, it's just that there hasn't been a platform that is easily accessible to the masses before," according to administrator Do Ky Minh Hien, in charge of group content.

He shared that the group's initial purpose was just to share knowledge and images of snakes in Vietnam, because all members of the board of directors saw the importance of identifying and learning first aid for snake bites in a tropical country with high biodiversity like Vietnam.

SIFASV has a wealth of information to help identify snake species in Vietnam.

According to SIFASV censor Nguyen Diep Trong Nghia, snake identification is of great importance to people in general and professionals in particular.

"For people, snake identification helps them know whether the snake they encounter is venomous or not, thereby making decisions such as moving or staying away. Ensuring the safety of themselves and their families," he said.

According to Mr. Nghia, identifying venomous snakes also helps people know how to properly and appropriately give first aid to that snake species if they are unfortunately bitten, and also raises awareness of protecting wildlife, contributing to protecting the ecosystem.

For experts, snake identification is an important basis for research on the ecology, classification, toxicity and distribution of snake species. "Accurate identification of snake species also helps doctors provide timely and effective treatment for patients," Mr. Nghia added.

Happy and sad snake story

Managing the activities of a group with more than 100 thousand members is not without its difficulties. According to administrator Nguyen Ngoc Xuan Huy, who is in charge of practical expertise of SIFASV, they often have to face fierce arguments between members.

In addition, the group operates as a non-profit and has very strict rules against providing unverified information on snakebite treatment. This has led to false rumors that the group "wants to sell serum" or sabotage the businesses of many self-proclaimed doctors.

"However, with the relentless effort to both provide information, filter information, and bring it to many people on the internet, I have noticed that the Vietnamese community in general is gradually becoming more open-minded about these legless reptiles and they love nature more," according to Mr. Huy.

Minh Hien observes habitat in a central region.

This administrator also added that during the group's activities, members also called on members to support patients in difficult circumstances who were bitten by snakes with part of the hospital fees. "The happiest thing is knowing that the patients have recovered and posted to thank everyone," he shared.

Not just snakes

Administrator Do Ky Minh Hien said that the group's rules are always based on polite debate, scientific basis and especially compliance with the law.

"The group's goal is encapsulated in the slogan "save people - protect snakes", which means prioritizing saving people, and above all, saving yourself through knowledge," he said.

The administrator made it clear that the group is just an online forum, not a medical facility that directly saves lives. Instead, the group provides knowledge so that each person knows how to handle dangerous situations.

"Regarding the slogan to protect snakes, although it is a group about snakes, its meaning also includes other wild animals, especially those that are considered ugly by the majority, not rare, and those that carry moral prejudices that humans place on them such as cold-blooded, cruel...", he shared.

Mr. Minh Hieu is observing the behavior of a cobra.

In fact, many members in the group shared that thanks to SIFASV, they realized that many snake species are not as poisonous as they thought and that they are listed in the Red Book, as well as how to prevent and give first aid for snake bites or ask experts for help in evacuating snakes when they discover them.

Team of experts

SIFASV was founded on June 9, 2021 by a group of people who share a passion for snakes. Among the group's executive members is Master of Ecology Nguyen Van Tan, who studied and worked at the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (2015-2017) and the Center for Wildlife Conservation in Vietnam (2018-2021). Another executive member is snake expert Pham Minh Hieu, founder of the YouTube channel Green Forest Messenger, with experience in keeping and working with venomous snakes. The group's main medical advisor is Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngát, currently working at Cho Ray Hospital, specializing in treating poisoning cases caused by venomous snake bites. In addition, the group also has other executive members such as photographer Nguyen Ngoc Xuan Huy and students of the Faculty of Biology - Biotechnology of the University of Natural Sciences - VNU-HCM including Tran Gia Thinh, Nguyen Ngoc Ky Phuong, Tran Nguyen Phuc, Do Ky Minh Hien and other members.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhung-tinh-nguyen-vien-vi-su-an-toan-cua-nguoi-va-ran-185250124173047757.htm