Madhya Pradesh's Snake Census: 50 Species, 16 Bite Hotspots, Race To Map Deadliest Reptiles
Madhya Pradesh has launched a scientific study to map snake diversity and distribution across its protected forests to address rising snakebite incidents. The project, led by the Wildlife Institute of India, focuses on ecological data rather than a simple population count.
Why it matters
This initiative represents a shift toward data-driven wildlife management and public health safety in response to human-wildlife conflict.
Somewhere inside a Madhya Pradesh forest, a snake slips across a patrol road in the darkness. A forest guard stops, photographs it, records the location and sends the GPS-tagged image for identification. Elsewhere, researchers drive slowly through a forest road after sunset, scanning the ground and undergrowth for movement. In another part of the state, preparations are being made for the next stage attaching radio transmitters to selected snakes to find out where they go after disappearing into the forest.This is Madhya Pradesh's much talked-about "snake census". Except, scientifically, it is not really a census. Instead of attempting the nearly impossible task of counting every snake in the state, Madhya Pradesh has begun what is being described as India's first extensive snake-specific scientific exercise to study their diversity, distribution, relative abundance and ecology.
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