Villagers in Jaldhaka upazila of Nilphamari beat to death a snake along with 29 of its young, believing it to be a Russell's viper. The incident happened at around 12:30pm on Monday, 24 June, at Alsia Para in the upazila's Kaimari union.

Locals said a few young men went to bathe in the Buri Teesta river and saw a snake. They called people from nearby, who came and beat it to death. When 29 young snakes came out, the locals killed them too.

Hafizul Islam, member for ward 8 of Kaimari union, told Jago News that the snake looked like a Russell's viper and that 29 young were found in its belly.

Smriti Singha, wildlife and biodiversity conservation officer of the Rangpur forest department, said the snakes were not Russell's vipers. "The snake that locals in Jaldhaka killed with its young is not a Russell's viper; it is a Siebold's painna snake. It is mildly venomous and not harmful to people. The snake that was killed bears no resemblance to a Russell's viper," she said.

Rezaul Karim, an official of the Nilphamari forest department, told Jago News that although the Russell's viper is venomous, it is needed to keep the environment in balance, so there is no scope for killing it. "There is a rumour that a bite from this snake means certain death. That is not true," he said.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.