Kenya: Human versus snake conflict on the rise
Posted by African Press International on September 8, 2009
Nairobi (Kenya) – The incidence of snakebites, leading to limb amputations and even death, have dramatically gone up in the last five years from 20 reported cases in 2003 to 236 last year.
According to the conflict resolution warden with the Kenya Wildlife Service, Grace Nzale, 680 cases of snakebites that resulted in 81 deaths and 577 injuries had been reported between 2003 and June 2009.
Experts hazard this could be as a result of the warming climate which has enabled snakes to move to previously cooler habitats, clearing of forests and the worsening droughts that force the reptiles to go into people’s houses to look for water.
Families living in snake areas are now being advised to keep water outside the houses so that the snakes can get their share and avoid venturing into the houses. The only dilemma is these are the very areas where water is so scarce and precious that there is none to offer to the reptiles.
But in a practical move, the Government has procured some 10,000 doses of anti venom vaccines for snake bite treatment and distributed them in all public hospitals across the country. Another 8,000 doses are on the way.
“What we have found out is majority of the people are resorting to use of traditional ways of managing snakebites when the vaccine might just be at their door steps,” says Dr Tatu Kamau, the Head of Division of Vaccines and Immunization at the Ministry of Health.
Health officials and those from the KWS agree that past experiences of drug stock-outs in many government hospitals has made the public believe that a snake antidote is not available in government facilities and whenever they are bitten by a snake they opt for traditional treatment.
Dr Kamau says the vaccine they have in government hospital protects a person against bites from 11 type of snakes, including the most poisonous ones.
According to Nzile, in the last five years Mwingi has led in the number of reported cases — 172 — followed by Wajir 88, Marsabit 54, Lamu 44, Kajiado 43, Embu 38, Mandera 36, Mbeere 26, Baringo 25, Kibwezi 24, Kitui 24, Mutomo 19, Makueni 18, Taita Taveta 18, Transmara 7, while Machakos and Tana River had reported 4 snakebites each.
But Nzale says this might just be the tip of the iceberg since majority of the cases do not get reported or followed-up for compensation at KWS. In 2008 alone, for instance, Mwingi District led with 56 cases of reported snakebites, followed by Wajir with 29, Marsabit. 41, Lamu 30, and Kajiado 19.
The most affected areas are either semi-arid or those experiencing prolonged periods of dry weather. Rashid Kaka, a senior curator in charge of the Snake Park at the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) says being cold blooded creatures — whose blood temperature increases or decreases with changes in the external environment — snakes are known to have a penchant for warmer and drier parts of the country where conditions for survival and breeding are favourable.
Those found in these conditions multiply faster than snakes in colder regions because it takes shorter time for their eggs to hatch. This explains the huge population and species diversity of snakes in the dry or low grassland areas.
And with the destruction of forests and rising temperatures due to climate change, many locations in Kenya are likely to turn into fertile breeding grounds and habitats for the snakes. Snakes living in warmer regions are very active and venture out from their hideouts into houses and into people’s bedrooms, especially at night, in search of water and food.
It is during this time they bite people when asleep and who, not knowing it is a snake crawling past them, try to shove it off. This action makes the snake think it is under attack bites the person. Jacob Mueti Ngwava, Assistant research scientists at the National Museums of Kenya says the chance of people in dry areas being bitten is higher than those in the cooler areas. Among the Maasai, the leading cases of snake bites are among children.
Majority of these bites occur at night leaving researchers to hypothesize that the children might be the victims because they sleep on the floors while their parents on a bed or raised areas.
Yet, according to their distribution, majority of the deadliest snakes are found in these dry parts of the country. Black-necked cobra is mainly found in Machakos, Kajiado, Kilifi, Meru, Naivasha, Nyanza and Isiolo. The Saw-scaled Viper that likes hiding in stones or logs is found in Samburu, Garissa, Maralal, Nyambene and Eastern Turkana.
Black or white cobra lives in the forests and woodlands; the Jameson’s Mamba is found only in Kakamega forest; Green Mamba, found in Diani, Kilifi, Malindi, Mombasa, Mtwapa, Simba hills, Himoni, Watamu, Tana River, Nyambene and Kibwezi. The Puff Adder is found in almost all parts of the country, with Egyptian Cobra residing mostly in Kajiado, Machakos, Nairobi, Naivasha, Thika, Isiolo, Samburu, Bungoma and Elgon.
The Boomslang is found in Kitui and Machakos, while the Gaboon Viper lives in Kakamega and Nandi forests. The black mamba exists in the coastal districts, Kajiado, Baringo, Bungoma, Kerio, Kitui, Makindu, Mara, Mwingi and Nandi hills.
The venom of some of these snakes kills between three and eight hours from the time of the bite. Dr Kamau and Kaka wants those living in the locations where these snakes exist to rush to the nearest hospital to get anti-venom vaccine immediately after a snakebite.
Victims who survive the bite of the puff adder, a snake known to be responsible for many fatalities, end up with amputated limbs. Described as one of the snakes that is reluctant to flee from human beings and willing to bite, the puff adder usually produces lethal venom that decomposes the body tissues.
When these cases of death and amputations are reported to the KWS, the government compensates the victims or the families of the deceased.
Under the Wildlife Conservation and Management (Amendment) Act Cap 376, Sec. 65, deaths resulting from any animal attack qualifies for compensation of Sh 200,000, while those who survive with injuries get Sh 50,000. Stocking of vaccines means those who may have a bad encounter with snakes can be saved.
source.Nation.ke
