IWMB asks hikers ‘beware of snakes’

Islamabad: The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) has advised the hikers to take precautionary measures on walking trails as reptiles including snakes are now quite active these days due to changing weather conditions.

There has been no reported incidence of unprovoked attacks by snakes on the visitors on the walking trails, but still the IWMB has advised them to follow the safety guidelines and just stay on the trails, particularly during the summer season.

The IWMB has termed snakes an important part of the ecological settings that must be preserved to protect natural habitats of the bird and animal species in the Margalla Hills.

The data compiled by Himalayan Wildlife Foundation (HWF) dispelled this fear and encouraged the acceptance of snakes as part of the ecology.

The snakes are primarily nocturnal and their feeding time begins around sunset. The majority of snakes found in the Margalla Hills are non-venomous. The only three venomous are the Cobra that is recognized for spreading its hood when excited or frightened. The Krait, glossy dark brown or black with white cross streaks and the Vipers that are identified by their arrow heads.

The data further stated that amphibian fauna of Pakistan is generally represented by 21 species allocated to the families Ranidae, Microhylidae, Bufonidae and Megophryidae. The first three families are represented in MHNP, whereas a single species of megophriid frog is restricted to the Deosai Plateau in Pakistan. Around nine species of amphibians and 32 species of reptiles have so far been recorded in the MHNP.

The conservationists are of the view that the Margalla Hills have unfortunately become a recreational hub for the visitors more than a secluded and protected park where the wildlife species can live in a cordial environment.