Fear of the Russell's viper (chandrabora) is spreading across Tangail district. Many people are posting on Facebook that the snake has been seen in various places in the district town and upazilas, while many others call the posts false or rumours.

The Tangail civil surgeon's office said people should be aware rather than panic about the Russell's viper.

Various sources said a venomous snake was seen on the morning of Saturday, 22 June, at Sabalia Panjapara in the town and was beaten to death with sticks. The snake was found at the gate of the home of Advocate Abdur Rashid, former GP of the Tangail judge court. Many people posted photos of it on social media calling it a Russell's viper.

Advocate Abdur Rashid said it had been raining since morning and he was working in his chamber downstairs. At around 11:30am a tenant going out saw a snake entering the house. When he raised the alarm, people from the chamber beat the snake to death with sticks. Since then, fear of the Russell's viper has spread among local people.

He added that since snakes give birth to many young at once, there could be more snakes around the house, and an operation to clear snakes from the neighbourhood was urgently needed.

Tangail Divisional Forest Officer Sajjaduzzaman said: "We mainly work with wildlife. Panic over the Russell's viper has spread across the country. I have learnt about this, and the higher authorities will be informed."

Tangail Civil Surgeon Dr Minhaj Uddin Mia said people should be aware rather than panic about the Russell's viper. "For snakebite patients, 10 doses of antivenom are stored in each upazila and 100 doses in the district. The amount will be increased if needed," he said.

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