Depok, June 16th 2023. Universitas Indonesia (UI) has an area of 320 hectares on the Depok Campus, West Java, almost two thirds of which is covered by urban forests and lakes. Therefore, UI residents have relatively high contact with wild animals, especially reptiles, such as snakes and monitor lizards. According to the Head of Environmental and Occupational Safety and Health Technical Unit (UPT K3L) UI, Dr. Ir. Sjahrul M. Nasri, M.Sc., UI through UPT K3L has a strong commitment to protecting and preserving flora and fauna (including monitor lizards and snakes) in the campus environment.
“We believe that the presence of monitor lizards and snakes on our campus plays an important role in a healthy ecosystem and maintains the balance of other animal populations,” said Dr. Sjahrul in a webinar organized by UPT K3L UI with the theme “Monitoring Reptile Fauna in UI Environment – Biawak and Snakes – ” on Thursday (15/06).
The speaker at the webinar was the Head of the Research Center for Applied Zoology and Researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Dr. rer. nat. Evy Ayu Arida. On that occasion, she discussed monitoring and identification of monitor lizards and snakes.
Dr. Evy said that some Indonesian people don’t like or don’t even pay attention to the habitat of reptiles, and it keeps humans away from their environment which raises concerns if one day we had to deal with those animals.
“We cannot deny that animals such as monitor lizards and snakes are types of reptiles that often live side by side with us. Not all reptiles, such as snakes, are dangerous and venomous,” said Dr. Evy.
She added, if you meet a snake you have to stay calm and don’t panic. Stay away from the snake and don’t bother it. Identify the species or produce documentation such as photographs and videos that clearly describe the position, color and details of the snake’s head. Then, send a photo of the snake to ask for help from a security officer or an expert. Dr. Evy also said, a broom or dustpan can be used to carefully move the snake out of the house or room.
In addition to that, knowing how to identify venomous and non-venomous snakes is also important to reduce panic when faced with a snake. Venomous snakes have a triangular head shape and elongated sharp pupils, while non-venomous snakes tend to have round pupils and a round head shape. The venom of this snake can affect the body’s systems, namely preventing nerve cells in the brain from sending signals throughout the body (Neurotoxins), causing red blood cells to burst, causing blood not to clot and lowering blood pressure (Haemotoxins), and keeping muscle cells from contracting properly and can cause muscle cell death (Mycotoxins).
In regards to this, UI through UPT K3L has programs that are carried out in an effort to preserve diversity, especially for types of snakes and monitor lizards while also reducing conflicts with UI residents. The program includes providing training for special officers regarding the ability to handle snakes, responding quickly to reports of the presence of snakes and monitor lizards, identifying and moving snakes to places far from the activities of UI residents. If a very dangerous and venomous snake species is found, the snake will be handed over to the relevant party who is capable of further handling. In addition, UPT K3L also provides counseling to the community at the location where snakes and monitor lizards are found,
“The UI campus as one of the Green and Sustainable Campus has a diverse fauna habitat around the campus forest area. Reptiles such as monitor lizards and snakes are an important part of the biodiversity around us and need to be handled wisely, without having to be killed or feared so that our ecosystem can be properly maintained. Through this webinar, it is hoped that we can further increase our knowledge and understanding of the reptile fauna found in the UI campus environment,” said Dr. Sjahrul.
He added, this activity was also held in order to comply with Law no. 5 Year 1990 concerning the Conservation of Living Natural Resources and their Ecosystems.
