Daily Times

A rare snake species known as the blunt-nosed viper and other reptiles, especially the geico lizard are found to be under severe threat due to killing by locals and gold extractors near the Indus River in Nizampure area of Nowshera district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The threat warning was issued by an amazing nature survivalist and wildlife rescuer, Abdul Rehman who belongs of Bahawalpure district of Punjab and recently spent around two weeks in Nizampure and Manglot National Park for his research on different wild species.

Abdul Rehman also operates an educational YouTube channel in the name of `Wild Rush’ to create awareness about the conservation of indigenous wild species.

During a visit to Nizampure on the embankment of the river Indus, Abdul Rehman found that gold extractors who sleep on the site of extraction are ruthlessly killing reptiles including rare species for safety purposes.

It merits an insertion here that a large of people carrying an extensive fleet of heavy machinery are engaged in illegal mining of gold in the Indus River at Nizampure area of Nowshera, causing irreparable damage to valuable national assets besides severe disruption of aquatic life.

Apart from gold extractors, the locals are also involved in killing of rare snakes, blunt-nosed viper and geico lizard, he told APP.

Talking to APP, Abdul Rehman informed that the geico lizard is killed by people on the basis of a misconception of becoming a highly venomous species.

He said geico are found in abundance in Nizampure and people of area are of the view that if it even touches a human, he will die of its poisonous excretion.

Whereas blunt-nosed viper is being killed because of a new specie in the area and of its large size, Rehman believed.

He said blunt nosed viper is not a local species of Nizampure and according to locals, it started appearing in the area after the 2010 flooding.

According to limited research on the species, blunt-nosed vipers, scientifically known as Macrovipera lebetinus, are mostly found in the Chiltan mountain range of Baluchistan or some mountainous regions of Kashmir, Rehman told APP.

However, to his surprise, he found the snake in Niazampure area in two different colors.

Furthermore, he continued, the size of viper which is usually around 5 to 6 feet scares locals and they forthwith kill it on sighting over a belief that it’s a python and will devour their livestock.

The wildlife rescuer said he found carcasses of three snakes and also watched several videos recorded by locals of killing the viper of large sizes.

The snake found in Nizampure is also unique because of its colours mostly yellow and blue which warrants research as how it arrived in the area and which specie is this, Rehman observed.

He said the snake is also under sever threat because of being nocturnal in nature and remains much dormant during day time, allowing people to easily attack and kill it.

During conservation, locals informed Rehman that in the daytime these snakes are found in deep sleep and they easily kill them without any resistance.

Sometime they stumble upon the snake while tilling in farmlands and the reptile did not give any response due to deep sleep.

Being a wildlife rescuer, Abdul Rehman worked on conservation of threatened species and educated locals about the non-venomous nature of geico lizard.

He also requested them to avoid killing snakes if found in the open. He told locals that if they found any snake within the premises of their homes, they should kill it otherwise avoid killing rare species.

Similarly, Abdul Rehman also met with gold extractors and apprised them about several non-venomous reptiles which they are killing in fear.

He also stressed that the KP Wildlife Department should work on the conservation of threatened wild species by creating awareness among people.

In this connection, he also suggested for display of sign boards and panaflex in areas with inscriptions about the non-harmful nature of different species and their ecological importance.

Abdul Rehman also offered his services to the Wildlife Department of taking pictures of different wild species found the area and displaying awareness panaflex besides holding capacity-building sessions with locals and gold extractors.