Going all out to save Kenya's endangered snakes

Pictures tell a story, and if they save a life, the story is even better. That is the kind of photography that Maurice Oniang’o, an award-winning National Geographic explorer, prides in.

Mr Oniang’o, who is based in Nairobi, is passionate about photographing snakes, his phobia for the reptiles notwithstanding. He literally shoots his shot for the sake of saving a snake’s life.

This is due to his concern about human-wildlife conflicts, which has seen him seek ways of increasing awareness of the danger faced by two snake species — the Mt Kenya bush viper and the Kenya horned viper — that are endemic to Kenya. They are found only in Chuka on the south-eastern part of the Mt Kenya Forest.

“I have never touched a single snake since my childhood, and during my practice as a wildlife photographer,” says Oniang’o. “I could not even stand watching them on television because I got goose bumps.”

RAISE AWARENESS

The Mt Kenya bush viper and the Kenya horned viper are close to his heart; so close that he produced two documentaries about them. He took a step further by writing an article that he presented together with his photos in an effort to raise awareness and demystify the superstitions that surround snakes.

“I got interested when I read on the Cites (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) appendices about how trade on the two endemic snake species is rife in Europe, where they are sold in the black market,” he says.

“According to the report, which is produced by the United Nations Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), a single Mt Kenya bush viper was sold for between Sh400,000 and Sh600,000. The Kenya horned viper went for between Sh150,000 and Sh200,000,” adds Mr Oniang’o.

With the two species only found in Chuka, it means that the snakes were being poached illegally since the Kenyan government prohibits wildlife trade unless one has a special permit from the Kenya Wildlife Service. With this information, Mr Oniang’o set out to investigate what made it easy to smuggle the snakes out of the country.

STEDMAK ANIMAL PARK

However, he had to first overcome his ophidiophobia (fear of snakes), which saw him visit the National Museums of Kenya headquarters in Nairobi, Stedmak Animal Park in Karen and Bio-Ken snake farm in Watamu to help him amass some courage. From there, he worked with professional snake handlers, who guided him on what to do, the distance to keep and how to photograph carefully to avoid snake bites.

“Going out all alone while photographing snakes is a very risky affair,” he remarks. “The Kenya horned viper, for example, is very aggressive and can strike at any time. As such you need professionals who have studied snake behaviour to guide you on how to work with it. That is how I succeeded in filming my documentary piece.”

He goes on: “The community perception and fear of snakes makes it possible for the vipers to be poached. Our laws as well are a bit lenient. A person found smuggling a snake won’t be treated as harshly as someone found with ivory.”

To demonstrate this, he cites an incident in February this year, where a man was caught transporting a 10kg python without a permit and got sentenced to two years in prison. He would be later released after President Uhuru Kenyatta paid his Sh1 million fine.

In another case that took place in August 2019, four police officers were jailed for life after being caught with five kilogrammes of ivory worth Sh500,000 in a government car. The disparity in sentences irks Mr Oniang’o because they are both wildlife trophies.

MYTHS AND SUPERSTITIONS

The myths and superstitions that surround snakes, he says, only serve to endanger lives and also affect conservation of the reptiles. Snakes have since the beginning of time served a purpose in balancing the food chain in the ecosystem, ensuring that the rodent population does shoot up so much that it gets out of hand.

“My passion is to talk about this animal that is hated and misunderstood. I want to enlighten people about how our cultural beliefs and superstitions affect the safety and conservation efforts,” says Mr Oniang’o.

The Mt Kenya bush viper, for example, faces decline to the extent of depletion as a result of habitat degradation and illegal collection. This is according to a UNEP-WCMC report of 2015.

On the other hand, the status of the Kenya horned viper is unknown as it has not been listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. However, it has been placed under the red list of threatened species, and trade in it has to be controlled to ensure that they do not become extinct.

“People do not care about snake poaching. The people who are considered snake saviours are the ones that act as conduits to the illegal trade. Some also do it out of ignorance, handing over the snakes to people who claim to be doing research on them, only to find out later that they have been sold illegally. At one point, I joined groups of reptile lovers and found people posting pictures of the Kenyan vipers for sale,” Mr Oniang’o shares.

It is this passion for conservation that saw his article featured by the National Geographic, and his documentary titled Saving Snakes, Protecting People, aired on NTV.

He has won various awards among them emerging the best environmental reporter of the year at the 2015 edition of the Annual Journalism Excellence Awards by the Media Council of Kenya. In 2014, he was crowned the Thomson Foundation Young Journalist of the Year in London. He has also been placed under mentorship by the National Geographic and paired with a natural history filmmaker, which will sharpen his skills.

ANIMAL LOVERS

On Thursday, animal lovers marked the World Snake Day, an annual observance (not yet endorsed by the UN) to create awareness about the oft-misunderstood creatures.

Mr Oniang’o says the country still has a long way to go in terms of removing the bad rap from snakes.

“I cannot say I have succeeded in demystifying the superstitions surrounding snakes. It is not something you can achieve in a short time because it is also coupled up with religious beliefs,” he says.

He urges people to first learn about the snakes that live within their environment, and find out whether they are venomous or not.

“If you find a snake that is non-venomous and poses no threat to you, you should let it go. However, you need to seek help from handlers if you come across the venomous ones. This is because most people get bitten while trying to kill a snake,” says Mr Oniang’o.

He doesn’t judge people who kill snakes because it may be a case of misidentification. However, he says people should be ready to go to hospital to seek anti-venom rather than relying on traditional interventions to treat snake bites.

“There are people, even educated ones, who believe there is a black stone that treats snake bites. Herpetologists have time and again reiterated the need to seek hospital care. Whoever believes a black stone works could be dealing with a case of a non-venomous snake bite.

To increase awareness about snake conservation in Kenya, he advises Kenyans to be proactive and learn about not just the two endangered snake species but all of them. Most people only know about the five common species — the cobra, puff adder, black mamba, green mamba and the python.

“Before we get to the point of eradicating the fear of snakes, we need to start with learning about them and especially what to do when you come across them. We need to start viewing the snake as a wild animal and not the devil; as an animal you can encounter as you go about your daily activities. Preparedness and knowledge is of utmost importance,” M Oniang’o says.