Cobra restaurants and the growing density of human populations in parts of Bali are having a potentially disastrous impact on the local snake population.

Snakes are being killed wholesale for byproducts such as traditional medicines, meat, blood and skins, and are also dying on roads and being killed when found near human habitations.

Herpetologist Ron Lilley, also known as the “Snake Man of Bali”, holds a non-poisonous snake injured during building works in Sanur. (JP/J. B. Djwan)

The decline in local snake populations may equal a rise in rat populations, according to herpetologist and zoologist, Ron Lilley, of the Indonesian Nature Foundation. Lilley is also affectionately known as the "Snake Man of Bali".

"At this point it (the rat population rise) must be speculation on my part. In a natural system, or even in a manmade agricultural system, birds of prey and snakes control rat populations, which are significant in agricultural systems."

"If nothing is done (to protect snake and bird of prey species) and predators are taken out of those systems, rat populations will explode," Lilley said, adding that an absence of scientific data on the snake and rat populations in Indonesia allows for speculation and modeling only.

However, Lilley's personal observations confirm a shift in populations, with rats winning out.

"When we first moved to Sanur, each year there would be around seven baby spitting cobras in my garden. I have not seen new babies in the past two years. In that period the land behind was cleared and I feel the cobras' parents bred there," said Lilley citing just one example of the impact on snakes and other wildlife from human developments.

He added that greater traffic numbers has also led to more road kills.

The dramatic decline in cobra numbers can be measured through cobra restaurants, said Lilley, with one local restaurant shutting down and another currently surviving by importing cobras from Java.

"Much evidence of the reduction in snake numbers comes from snake restaurant owners. Local restaurants are saying they used to get all their snakes within Bali. They say that due to over-collection of cobras they now need to import from Java."

Added to the cobra meat market is the local snake skin industry that produces belts, wallets, shoes and bags from the skins of a range of snake species, including the protected pythons and non-venomous rat-snakes that kill and consume around 12 rats monthly.

Lilley said international bans on the importation of snake-skin products is beginning to bite and this would be the greatest protection for many snakes as viable markets for the produce disappears.

However, some Asian countries still traffic in endangered wildlife and non-endangered species.

"While the function of snakes and monitor lizards as pest predators is significant in agricultural areas and in towns and villages, its value is not yet appreciated. It is reasonable to assume that the short-term financial gains made by a few people from the capture and sale of snakes are outweighed by the longer term damage in terms of loss of food and income caused by unregulated collection of snakes from rice fields.

"As a general rule, the collectors here are paid very poorly for the animals they catch, but will appreciate any extra income, especially if it involves catching and selling species that they either regard as pests ...," said Lilley.

As rat-predator snakes disappear, damage to rice crops can reduce harvests by substantial levels, while health risks to humans from greater numbers of rats in urban areas rise.

According to studies on rice-field rats, 1999 harvest damage from rats can cost up to 10 percent of a rice harvest. Female rats bear 30 or more babies within a three-month planting cycle, exploding into thousands of rats per hectare of rice in one growing season. Predators, such as snakes are one of the best control methods for these rodent populations.

"People are at health risks from rat droppings and their urine. Rats climb on plates, tables or benches and the chance of disease from this is quite high," said Lilley.

Head of Bali's Conservation Services, under the Indonesian Ministry for Forestry, Istanto, agreed that a fall in snake numbers could cause a potentially dramatic rise in rat numbers across Bali, impacting humans in both urban and agricultural zones.

"In Bali, people kill snakes maybe for consumption or to remove them from an area. However, that can create other problems, such as a rise in rat populations," said Istanto, adding a valuable solution to diminishing snake numbers would be the further development of captive breeding programs.

Pythons and cobras are currently bred in Jakarta and in Tabanan and Negara in Bali.

"I think it would be good for Indonesia to breed snakes for consumption, traditional medicines and skins. There are some small-scale breeders here in Bali, but we need to use better technology," said Istanto.

According to Lilley, one of the greatest stumbling blocks in the protection of snakes is human fear of the reptiles.

"Most people are happy to see them dead, forgetting that their loss carries a great price in disease increase and harvest reductions.

"Living in the tropics means snakes are part of the deal. It is much worse in Jambi, where you might find you are sharing your garden with elephants, or around Puncak near Bogor where there are still leopards," he said.

Lilley regularly visits schools and other organizations to introduce snakes to people in an effort to reduce fear and increase understanding of these important creatures within the local ecology. -- Trisha Sertori

Living in harmony with snakes

Herpetologist Ron Lilley, while being passionate about the protection of snakes around the world, is a realist. He advises caution with snakes and that they should all be treated as poisonous.

He said by following this simple snake-aware system, people and snakes can share their tropical environment in harmony:

* Keep pathways clear.

* Carry a torch at night -- snakes are easily seen under torchlight.

* Store household items on shelving and off the floor.

* Treat all snake bites as potentially dangerous (though Lilley says the majority of snake bites are dry or non-poisonous).

* Keep gardens clear of rubbish.

* If you have a compost heap, ensure it is at a distance from living areas, as snakes breed in the warmth of compost heaps.

* Be aware of chest-high shrubs in the early evening, as snakes travel down from trees to hunt.

* The local green viper is the most common cause of snake bite in Bali.

* If you find a snake in your home or garden, photograph it (at a safe distance) and Lilley will happy come and remove it for you, ferrying it back to the jungle.

* Leave snakes alone as a general rule.

Lilley is also keen for anyone photographing snakes to send him images to assist in the documentation of the snake species across Bali.

Ron Lilley can be contacted on 081 338 496 700 or via email at ronlilley@lini.or.id

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