"Snakes"

Episode on June 29, 2011 Wednesday after Saksi! Since time immemorial, it seems humans and snakes have had an unfriendly relationship. In biblical stories, mythology and folklore, the snake has been portrayed as man’s enemy. Its deadly reputation is not without reason, of course. Some snakes have venom so potent that they can kill a grown man in minutes. It’s not surprising then that stories of humans being killed by the deadly snake bite make it to the headlines. But there is of course, the flip side. Today, snakes are in the news not because of their attacks on humans. According to Biology Letters, the scientific journal of the British Royal Society, there is a global decline in snake populations, notably in Africa and Europe . But the Philippines is no exception. The Philippine Cobra has now been pushed into the “threatened" category. The truth is, only a small percentage of snakes are known to be venomous; in fact, more snakes make it on the human menu than there are humans that get bitten by them. In a country like the Philippines , there is more to snakes than meets the eye. These reptiles make for a high reptile endemism in the country, meaning there are snake species here that can be found nowhere else on earth. This Wednesday, Born to be Wild scours the country to map out where endemic snake species can be found. The team also visits areas notorious for snake “attacks" to find out what really drives these reptiles to bite people, and attempts to find out: what is the snake’s life really like? The answer on BORN TO BE WILD’s “Snakes" special, airing this Wednesday, June 29, after Saksi.

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Makikita ang iba’t ibang klase ng ahas ngayong Miyerkules sa Born to be Wild . Nakatuon ngayon ang ilang eksperto sa mga ahas sa buong mundo. Ayon kasi sa Biology Letters, isang journal ng British Royal Society, sa labing-pitong species ng ahas na kanilang pinag-aralan sa Africa at Europa, labing-isa dito ang bumaba ang bilang sa nakaraang sampung taon. Ang ating Philippine Cobra ay apektado na rin sa pababang bilang na ito. Dahil kung dati ay wala sila sa listahan ng mga threatened species, ngayon ay nabibilang na rin sila rito. Sa ilang bahagi ng Central Luzon makikita ang mga Philippine Cobra. Madalas makasalamuha ng mga magsasaka ng mga ahas na ito. At kapag nagkaroon sila ng engkwentro, dalawang bagay ang maaaring mangyari – ang matuklaw ng ahas ang tao o ang mahuli at makatay siya nito. Ayon sa batikang herpetologist at reptile expert na si Arvin Diesmos, dahil sa nakakatakot na imahe ng mga ahas ay madalas silang patayin. Di alam ng mga tao na kakaunting bilang lang ng mga species ng ahas ang venomous o may kamandag. Gaya ng isang lugar sa Central Luzon kung saan napagkakamalan nila bilang makamandag na pit viper ang walang kamandag na rat snake. Pinapatay ng mga residente ang rat snake sa pag-aakalang pit viper ito. Ngunit lingid sa kanilang kaalaman na ang mga rat snake pala ang siyang kumakain at bumabalanse sa mga dagang nagiging peste sa palayan. Kilalanin pa ang iba’t ibang ahas sa espesyal na episode ng Born to be Wild ngayong Miyerkules pagkatapos ng Saksi.