Background: Snakebite envenoming, classified as a neglected tropical disease, poses a significant threat to life in India, where it is estimated to cause 58 000 fatalities as well as 140 000 morbidities annually. To reduce the occurrence of snakebite, we need a comprehensive understanding of human-snake conflict ecology. Snake rescue networks represent a vital resource for gathering such ecological data.
Methods: In this study, we utilised snake rescue data from 520 rescue encounters carried out by a local rescue network in Hooghly, West Bengal, from July 2020 to October 2022, to investigate patterns of human-snake conflict and the influence of climatic factors on these patterns.
Results: The spectacled cobra Naja naja was the most encountered of the five venomous species involved in 365 rescues. Our analysis revealed a significant correlation between rescue location and venomous/non-venomous encounters, with non-venomous encounters being more prevalent inside built-up locations. Rainfall on the previous day significantly increased encounters and influenced the species involved, while daily minimum temperature also influenced encounters with venomous species. We also found that both Bungarus (krait) species present were mostly encountered between 18:00 h and midnight.
Conclusions: This study highlights the multifaceted factors influencing human-snake conflicts in the region, including seasonality, geographic location, rainfall patterns, and temperature dynamics. It underscores the potential of snake rescue data as a valuable resource for deepening our understanding of regional variations in snake-human interactions.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/trstmh/trae124 | DOI Listing |
Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg
January 2025
Molecular Ecology and Evolution at Bangor (MEEB), School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Environment Centre Wales, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK.
Background: Snakebite envenoming, classified as a neglected tropical disease, poses a significant threat to life in India, where it is estimated to cause 58 000 fatalities as well as 140 000 morbidities annually. To reduce the occurrence of snakebite, we need a comprehensive understanding of human-snake conflict ecology. Snake rescue networks represent a vital resource for gathering such ecological data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
October 2024
Department of Electrical Engineering, Marwadi University, Rajkot, 360003, Gujarat, India.
Rapid and reliable detection of human survivors trapped under debris is crucial for effective post-earthquake search and rescue (SAR) operations. This paper presents a novel approach to survivor detection using a snake robot equipped with deep learning (DL) based object identification algorithms. We evaluated the performance of three main algorithms: Faster R-CNN, Single Shot MultiBox Detector (SSD), and You Only Look Once (YOLO).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
October 2024
Department of Emergency Medical Rescue, Nambu University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
R Soc Open Sci
October 2024
School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis
September 2024
School of Pharmacy, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom.
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