Garbage segregation still remains a practice only for the neighbours to follow in many pockets of Goa. But what if this haphazard garbage management is triggering an unwanted paradigm shift in our ecosystem? Over the last couple of years, Richard D’Souza, principal chief conservator of forests, has noticed an increase in intrusion of snakes into human habitation, which he attributes to the increase in garbage around the place. Explaining the cycle in lay terms, D’souza says garbage attracts rats, rats attract rat snakes and rat snakes are a favourite snack of king cobras. “Earlier king cobras were mostly rescued in villages, not in cities. The

trend among snakes is changing now. We rescued a Russell’s viper from the indoor stadium in Campal last week,” he states. Known to chiefly prey on other

snakes, the king cobra is predominantly found deep in the jungle and finds its food there, says D’souza, adding that now they are straying into habitation close to these forests. “In 1998, there was no patrolling squad when I took charge. But since its inception, the squad, which is on

call 24 hours a day, has rescued many snakes, mostly from homes and surrounding areas,” he says. In 2013, statistics from the forest department reveal

the highest wildlife rescues were snake species at 3,927. Among the various species of snakes rescued, the rat snakes were the highest at 980.

“We have rescued maximum number of king cobras from habitation around Netravali. The other areas are Bicholim and Valpoi,” says D’Souza.

The forest department chief doesn’t remember the garbage situation being this bad earlier. “During the

CCP’s Chaka Chak campaign, all the

garbage from Panjim was dumped

in Curca. But since that has been

capped, I don’t know where all the

garbage is going. Now there are people

throwing garbage along the

roads, and even into the rivers,” he

says.

Proposing a possible solution,