Viper that returned from extinction causes concern in Asia: Its bite is very poisonous
In Bangladesh they are closely monitoring and with great concern the advance of the Russell’s viper, which returned from extinction after disappearing more than two decades ago and has already caused five deaths, as its bite is extremely venomous.
He increase in snake bites in Bangladeshin particular of the venomous Russell’s viper what was declared extinct in 2002 but whose population has grown since then, has triggered the alarmamong calls for calm from the authorities.
“This year, until June 12, We have received 16 patients and five of them have died“said a spokesperson for the University Hospital of the northern city of Rajshahi, Mahbubur Rahmanwhich noted that this center has recorded 69 deaths and 235 hospitalizations in a decade.
With the Bangladeshi media reporting on casesthe Minister of Health, Samanta Lal Sen, called for “Don’t panic, but be cautious“and assured that the country has sufficient antidote and means.
“I can assure everyone that snakebite treatment has been delivered to the districts and other areas, and health workers have been trained,” he said in a video message.
What is Russell’s viper like?
The Russell’s viper, found in other Asian countries Like neighboring India, it went from being considered extinct to appearing on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list as “near threatened” in 2015, when it was present in 17 of the 64 districts of Bangladesh.
“Russell’s viper population appears to be increasing in Bangladeshso to a certain extent the panic is logical,” the IUCN representative in the Asian country, Muhammad Mehedi Ashan, told EFE Agency.
Bangladesh Forest Department attributed this increasein a message published on Saturday, to reduction in the number of natural predators of snakes due to deforestation and to the extension of the crop fields, while calling for extreme precautions in case of sighting of a viper.
Firoj Jaman, professor of zoology at Dhaka University, said the number of snakes is also increasing due to increasingly frequent floodssince the viper is a “good swimmer”.
Every year, approximately 7,500 people die from snake bites. in Bangladesh, according to government data, a country that has about 28 poisonous species.
