85 snakes seized from a ‘farm’ in Rajshahi

The forest department seized at least 85 deadly snakes on September 25 from a farm of Borhan Biswas Rumon at remote Dharmahata village in Poba upazila after the department filed a case on the same day against him under the Wildlife Preservation Act of 1973 with a forest magistrate’s court of Rajshahi.

“The act prohibits catching and harassing of any wild animal and accused Rumon, an MBA student, did it,” said Range Officer M Rabiul Islam, plaintiff of the case.

The department asked Alamgir Hossain, a village elder, to preserve the snakes under his custody until the department finds a suitable place for reintroducing them.

The seized snakes include 77 cobras (gokhra), seven rat snakes (daras) and one flying snake (bashua).

“We requested higher authorities for initiating a thorough probe as we suspect international smugglers might be behind the development of such snake farms that have little use in the country,” the range officer added.

Rumon, however, said he was rescuing snakes and also reintroducing some with supports of prominent researchers like Dr Farid Ahsan, chairman of Zoology Department of Chittagong University and Ashoka-fellow biologist Mohammad Abu Saeed who gave him technical support visiting his farm.

During a visit recently, Rumon’s ‘Cobra Snake Farm’ was found built in a tiny tin-shed house where the 85 snakes were kept inside several concrete preservers. Holes were dug in clay floors of some preservers.

Rumon said he hatched 455 baby cobras at his farm from 470 eggs the snakes laid this season. Most the baby cobras were reintroduced in jungles, he added.

“I bring male and female cobras together in February, they lay eggs in April and the eggs develop into babies in 60 days. Snakes are fed chickens, lizards and meat,” he said.

He also said he runs the farm spending Tk 20,000 to Tk 30,000 per month since December last year without hoping any profit while bearing expenses from his businesses. He said of his plan for a snake park too.

Naming Prof Dr M A Foyez, former DG of health department, for his inspiration, he said he gave the researchers his collection of many common crates (aailbora), wall crate (gorash), banded crate (shankhini) and falls crate (batachita).

When contacted, Mohammad Abu Saeed said a total of six researchers led by Dr Farid Ahsan are studying poisonous snakes for last several years.

They trained 400 people including Rumon in different parts of the country for raising awareness after government survey early this year found 6,000 people die, out of some seven lakh people bitten each year by poisonous snakes in the country.

Asked if he knows of any other snake farm than Rumon’s, he replied in the negative.

On contact, Dr Farid Ahsan admitted his visits to Rumon’s farm, saying, “I heard about Rumon’s snakes collection from Abu Saeed and visited the farm.”

“As preparing anti-venoms are costly and we have little expertise, we are determining ways to take snake venoms abroad and bring back the anti-venoms,” Dr Farid added.

Asked why they supported Rumon despite such farming was prohibited by law, Farid said, “On a spot visit I found Rumon was rescuing snakes from people and preserving them in a farm. It seemed to me a proper initiative by him.”

Dr MA Foyez, however, denied his link with Rumon’s farm, saying, “I rather deal with snake-bite patients.”