Bio-diversity

Snake diversity has been a greater concerned in Nepal but hardly studied. On the other hand, snake venom is a valuable natural resource which is the fodder for novel pharmacology. In Nepal s Terai, cases of snake bites from Cobra and krait increases dramatically with the onset of summer session. An estimate showed that more than 10,000 people are bitten by the snake and many of them die while others go unnoticed. In the rural communities, snakes have greater significance as the predator of mouse thereby controlling the rat population and preventing the potential loss of standing crop and harvested grain. Likewise, snakes have religious importance among many ethnic groups. Ironically, snakes are considered as the most dreadful creature by a large mass of people and thousands of snakes are killed every year. The worst part is many of victims are non-poisonous snake, which could help in controlling the rodents. The overriding goal of the project is to create an income generating opportunity for poor Netuwa tribe people, who are migratory or mobile and are involved traditionally in snake catching and charming. The project proposes to establish snake breeding center, snake bite service centre and snake park. The proposed site of the project is in the Bacchauli VDC, which lies in the bufferzone of Royal Chitwan National Park. The VDC being one of the major entry points into this world heritage site, the snake park would be an additional attraction for the tourism.

Nepal