A week-long photography exhibition-cum-awareness session on snakes of Tamil Nadu began at the Government Museum here on Wednesday. The World Snake Day was observed on July 16.
The exhibition is aimed at educating visitors about the common snakes of Coimbatore and Tamil Nadu and their role in balancing the food chain.
According to museum curator C. Sivakumar, photographs and descriptions of 22 common snakes found in the region are on display at the exhibition.
“Majority of us are still not able to differentiate between poisonous and non-poisonous snakes of our region. The most common poisonous snakes found here are Cobra, Krait, Russell's Viper and Saw Scaled Viper. Lots of non-poisonous snakes are killed by people due to lack of awareness. The exhibition has separate displays of poisonous and non-poisonous snakes,” he said.
Snake rescuer Ameen conducted an awareness session on snakes for students following the inauguration of the photo exhibition on Wednesday afternoon.
“Unlike in the past, we have volunteers who rescue snakes and release them in the wild. Many snakes are facing habitat threat due to the use of pesticides on farmlands. Snakes act as natural controllers of rodents that destroy crops,” said Mr. Sivakumar.
The museum will function between 9.30 a.m. and 5p.m. on all days except Fridays.
For snake rescues, Mr. Ameen can be contacted at 90475-31628.
