A Preliminary Study on Diversity of Snakes rescued from Gauhati University Campus, Assam

Author: Tikendrajit Gogoi, Sanghamitra Buragohain and Manab Jyoti Kalita

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Abstract

During a four years study period, from 2018 to 2022, as per calls received from inhabitants of the Gauhati University campus for rescue of snakes in the campus, a checklist of rescued snake was prepared. Snakes were captured with Snake Catcher Stick taking proper safety measures and released them into their natural habitat, way from human settlement without hurting the individuals. A total of 19 species of snake belonging to 8 families were recorded out of which 6 species belonging to 3 family were venomous, 1 species was mildly venomous and 12 species belonging to 5 family were non-venomous.Two species are vulnerable, one species belonging to near threatened and other 14 species are enlisted in least concern categories of IUCN red list. It's positively unusual to find such a variety of snakes on a campus housing an educational institution. These species should be protected because they are crucial to sustaining ecological balance. Conducting a preliminary study on the diversity of snakes rescued from a campus presents several challenges, including capturing a representative sample of the campus's snake population, which is difficult to locate, and ensuring safety during this type of study, considering the potentially venomous nature of some snake species.

Keywords

Snake diversity, checklist, rescued, Gauhati University, Conservation

Conclusion

The abundance of biodiversity is a valuable asset for humanity, and taking appropriate measures to preserve it can greatly benefit the current generation and fulfill the needs of future generations to the highest degree (Lekharu et al., 2023). Hence, the sighting of such a diverse range of snakes indicates a potential herpeto-faunal habitat in the area. Moreover, these findings also state that the organisms of the lower habitat must also be present to enable the proper functioning of food web. The presence of this diversity of snakes in an educational campus is very unique in a positive manner. We should try to conserve these species as they are of utmost importance in maintaining the ecological harmony. Since we have so many misunderstandings about snakes, many of them are killed. It’s time for us to understand the importance of snakes in our environment and the fact that they are not unnecessary animals. Further elaborative study on the faunal diversity in the campus is very crucial to have a vast knowledge on the wild inhabitants in the area.

References

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How to cite this article

Tikendrajit Gogoi, Sanghamitra Buragohain and Manab Jyoti Kalita (2023). A Preliminary Study on Diversity of Snakes rescued from Gauhati University Campus, Assam. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(6): 361-366.