{"id":339564,"date":"2025-12-28T16:56:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-28T16:56:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/339564\/"},"modified":"2025-12-28T16:56:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-28T16:56:10","slug":"living-with-snakes-lessons-from-forest-communities-28-december-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/339564\/","title":{"rendered":"Living with snakes: Lessons from forest communities \u2013 28 December 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

AMAN VERMA
[email\u00a0protected]<\/a><\/p>\n

Fear often dominates conversations about humans living alongside wildlife\u2014especially snakes, which provoke strong reactions in rural and forest-edge communities. Misunderstandings and misinformation have painted snakes as dangerous predators, often blamed for incidents without full context. Yet, wildlife expert and Goa\u2019s renowned snake rescuer, Benhail Antao, demonstrates that coexistence is not only possible but practised. In parts of the Mhadei landscape, around 250 people live close to wildlife habitats, sharing space with animals through awareness and understanding rather than confrontation\u2014a way of life, not just a theoretical concept.<\/p>\n

Snakes, Antao explained, communicate differently from humans. They rely on scent, body posture, and tactile cues rather than vocalisations. During mating, snakes may nudge or rub against each other\u2014a form of communication rarely observed by humans. Vocal sounds, like hissing, are defensive, not aggressive. \u201cSnakes don\u2019t make noise unless they feel threatened,\u201d he said, noting that hissing is a warning, a plea for distance, not an attack signal.<\/p>\n

Russell\u2019s vipers exemplify widespread misunderstanding. Active during mating season, they are often sighted more frequently, heightening fear. However, most bites result from humans accidentally stepping into their space, especially in farming areas. \u201cThey\u2019re scared animals,\u201d Antao said. \u201cNot aggressive hunters of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Understanding danger without exaggeration<\/p>\n

India records thousands of snakebite deaths annually, and the risk is real. Antao stresses clarity over panic. The country faces a severe snakebite crisis, with an estimated 50,000 to 58,000 deaths yearly\u2014nearly half of global snakebite fatalities. Rural populations, limited healthcare access, and reliance on traditional remedies amplify the problem. The \u201cBig Four\u201d\u2014cobra, krait, Russell\u2019s viper, and saw-scaled viper\u2014further increase vulnerability. Yet outcomes depend heavily on immediate response. First aid, such as immobilising the limb and reaching a hospital quickly, can save lives, while practices like tourniquets or cutting wounds often worsen outcomes.<\/p>\n

Pangolins: Silent residents of the forest<\/p>\n

Beyond snakes, the conversation shifted to pangolins, among the world\u2019s most trafficked and least understood mammals. Despite their presence in parts of Goa, sightings are rare. Antao has rescued only four in his career. \u201cThey\u2019re slow, harmless, and incredibly vulnerable,\u201d he noted. Targeted for illegal trade, pangolins\u2019 low reproductive rate makes population recovery difficult. Their quiet survival in Goa\u2019s forests highlights that coexistence thrives when humans minimise interference and respect wildlife rhythms.<\/p>\n

Learning to slow down in the forest<\/p>\n

Antao\u2019s work emphasises slowing down in natural spaces. With over two decades in wildlife rescue and conservation education, he views forests as living systems requiring patience and observation. Camping or trekking with him is intentionally unhurried: what could be completed in hours stretches over two days, combining shelter with immersive learning. Sessions explore snakes, forest ecology, and wildlife behaviour, alongside stargazing and early morning bird walks. \u201cThe idea is not to rush people through the wild,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt\u2019s to help them understand it fully.\u201d Awareness of animal behaviour reduces fear, as humans realise that wildlife never invaded their space\u2014it is human expansion that has encroached upon forests.<\/p>\n

Life inside the forest<\/p>\n

In the Mhadei landscape, coexistence is evident. Residents manage life near forests, adapting routines around wildlife movements. They store food carefully, choose walking paths thoughtfully, and move with awareness. Far from romanticising this life, Antao recognises its limitations, adjustments, and responsibilities. Yet, local voices emphasise calmness and rhythm. A resident described life as peaceful, despite limited hospital access and patchy network coverage. \u201cWe manage,\u201d she said, reflecting acceptance and adaptation, not ignorance.<\/p>\n

This balance\u2014awareness, patience, and respect\u2014forms the foundation of functional coexistence. Forest health, wildlife survival, and human well-being are deeply interconnected. Degraded forests force animals closer to human settlements; wildlife decline weakens ecosystems; ignoring these links escalates conflict. Antao\u2019s efforts, whether through rescue or education, exemplify this interconnection, showing that shared space is preferable to strict separation.<\/p>\n

The dominant narrative often highlights human\u2013wildlife conflict, overshadowing quieter examples of coexistence. In Goa, humans live, farm, and raise families alongside wildlife, while snakes, pangolins, and other creatures continue to move, hunt, and breed. Risks remain, but shared space, built on understanding, patience, and responsible action, is achievable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AMAN VERMA[email\u00a0protected] Fear often dominates conversations about humans living alongside wildlife\u2014especially snakes, which provoke strong reactions in rural…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":339565,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[90,56,54,55,4407],"class_list":["post-339564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-science","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=339564"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339564\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/339565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=339564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=339564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=339564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}