International Fund for Animal Welfare condemns slaughter of 300 snakes from one spot in Dedza

* People in Chimombo Village spotted two snakes sliding into a hole in an agricultural field

* And when they dug it up, they found many more holed up under the ground

By Duncan Mlanjira

Following a report on Zodiak Online that indicated that community members in Chimombo Village in the Traditional Authority Kachere in Dedza, slaughtered of over 300 snakes from one spot yesterday, the International Fund for Animal Welfare-Malawi & Zambia has condemned the action, describing it as a very unfortunate cruel act.

Quoting eye witness, Lloyd Ndalama, Zodiak Online reported that some people spotted two snakes sliding into a hole in an agricultural field and when they dug it up, they found many more holed up under the ground.

The people went further to slaughter all 301 snakes and following the posting of the news and its picture of the snakes, that went viral on social media, International Fund for Animal Welfare-Malawi & Zambia official, Patricio Ndadzera said the specie of the snakes in question (blind snakes) were harmless.

He said such types of snakes are venom-less and come out of the hole-shelters at night looking for food and that — as a large group family — they assist nature in some ways such as consuming some worms harmful to crops.

Ndadzera maintained that not all snakes pack deadly venom as 80% of them are harmless, which snake expert, Kalyn Munthali also attested to last year when she announced that she provides snake removal services in Lilongwe.

She had asked the public to do their part in protecting Malawi’s unique wildlife as snakes help to control populations of rats, bats, birds, frogs, termites, and even snails.

She went further to indicate that several species of snakes, lizards, turtles, tortoise are protected under the Laws of Malawi.

Also last year, on social media, people were of the opinion that in recent times, snakes have sought refugee around people’s houses’ dense foliage of flowers and shrubs — having had their habitats destroyed by human activity through wanton destruction of its trees and vegetation.

An official from the Department of National Parks & Wildlife told Maravi Express that people should always contact their offices once they spot presence of snakes at the home surroundings — and not to cull them as was the case in Dedza as that is against the law.

He also said due to the heat after their habitats were encroached by human activities, snakes get on the move to try find shelter within homesteads and once alerted, the Department of National Parks & Wildlife retrieves them to be relocated to protected areas.

Majority of forestry protected areas of Malawi have been devastated due to wanton illegal cutting down of trees for charcoal production to the extent that once they deplete all of them, the remorseless people go as far as uproot their trunks instead of leaving them to sprout back.

Every year, around this rain season, the public is asked to replace trees and much as people positively respond — through partnership with stakeholders and the corporate world — the young trees are cut down as soon as they reach over the sapling stage.

Such trees are used to produce handles for locally made mops and if the trend continues, especially if the authorities — through the Department of National Parks & Wildlife — relax in their mandate to protect the environment, the annual tree planting exercises are fruitless.