Venomous Snakes out in action!

Autumn breeze has arrived. Cold-blooded animals are busy out foraging to save up some energy reserves for the winter. Getting out the field in this few weeks, you have a high chance to see some snakes, and for those I saw lately were venoumous ones.

Like this one, Bamboo Pit Viper or White-lipped Pit Viper Cryptelytrops (Trimeresurus) albolabris, they usually sit-and-wait in bushes or branches and wait for preys, such as frogs, geckos, passing by. Most of the snake bite cases in Hong Kong were from this species. The best way to avoid being bitten is not to get close to area with bushes and tall grass. If you really need to, get a stick and hit the grass and bushes in front of you, this would surely scare them off.

Shells in deep trouble!

Big-headed Turtle (Platysternon megacephalum) is one of the victims in the Asian Turtle Crisis. All asian turtle species are harvested under an unsustainably high rate, to supply the extremely high demand of turtle delicacy and Traditional Chinese Medicine in Southern China. Over 40% of turtle species are estimated to be threatened, this ranked the highest among all animal group including mammals and amphibians. We are not optimistic about the future of turtles, but we cannot give up. We need to do whatever we can to conserve them, and at the same time, educate as many people as we can. I hope the exploitation of turtles will slow down and become sustainable before these wonderful and unique animals are gone forever and irreversibly.