The inaugural World Congress on Snakes brought together more than 500 researchers, conservation practitioners, wildlife managers and specialists representing over 40 countries. In early October, fellow Conservancy biologist Jason Edelkind and I traveled to Kandy, Sri Lanka, to share information on The Conservancy's Burmese python program and learn from the international community working on snake ecology, conservation, invasive species, wildlife trade, genetics and management.
Just getting there was an adventure and took over a day and a half. One flight alone lasted 15 hours, with our journey taking us over Spain and then through the Middle East. Jason shared with me that if you drilled a hole straight through the planet from Naples, Florida you would pop out in the Indian Ocean not far from Sri Lanka. It was a good way to put the distance into perspective. We were a long way from Southwest Florida and on the other side of the planet.
Upon arrival the spectacular scenery of Sri Lanka gave us plenty to take in. Forested hills and rivers and monkeys on the rooftops of buildings made the transformation complete as we traveled a few hours into the interior of the island country. The conference host city of Kandy did not disappoint and was surrounded by low green mountains that made you feel fortified and protected. Historically, this was the last capital of the Sinhala kings before British occupation in 1815. Today, the Sacred City of Kandy is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and recognized for its Buddhist and cultural significance.
The World Congress on Snakes opened with traditional Sinhalese dancers and drummers. They were friendly, energetic, and set the stage for the days ahead. Watching the performance, I could see what appeared to be references to snakes in some of the movements and there was also an appearance from a traditional, elaborate cobra-headed costume. It was a proper introduction to the place of reverence snakes hold in Sri Lanka's cultural traditions, and set the tone for the scientific sessions we had traveled there to attend.
There is something energizing about being surrounded by hundreds of people who all work with snakes in some capacity. Many sessions covered subjects outside our area of specialization, including a panel group studying sea snakes and others focused on venomous snakebites. There were other presenters facing invasive snake issues of their own in different countries and we were keen to speak with them.
Our contribution was a main-stage presentation on research and removal of invasive Burmese pythons in southwestern Florida. I described the Conservancy's long-term program and how our removal efforts support collaborative research through years of field observations and biological sample collection.
My biggest challenge may have been switching all our numbers on the slides to the international metric system. Did you know the Conservancy python project has removed over 25,000 kilos of python from approximately 500 square kilometers in southwestern Florida, USA? Remembering the conversions when someone asked a specific question about python lengths and mass required a little more concentration.
The talk was well received. Afterward, respective researchers from Japan and Puerto Rico approached me to share their experiences with invasive snakes. Okinawa has an invasive viper and Puerto Rico is currently dealing with massive reticulated pythons and other invasive snakes. We compared challenges, and talked about what we were learning through our respective programs. They were interested in how lessons from our program might apply to their own management challenges. It was validating and encouraging to be able to talk with similar minded people fighting their own battles a world away.
Those conversations were an important part of why we went. Presenting on an international stage allowed us to introduce the Conservancy's work to people who might otherwise never encounter it. It also gave Jason and me opportunities to connect with scientists whose experiences and ideas could inform our work back home.
We also had the chance to visit local nature preserves, where we observed Sri Lanka's native snakes firsthand. Sri Lanka is home to 112 recorded snake species, including 63 endemic species meaning more than half are found nowhere else on Earth. The first reptile we saw was a rough-sided snake from the genus Aspidura and that encounter made it sink in where we were. We had traveled across the world, and here was a snake belonging to a group of snakes native only to Sri Lanka.
That is only part of what makes the island so remarkable. The people we met were welcoming, and English was spoken everywhere we went, making it easy to ask questions and have conversations. Between the conference, the opening ceremony and our time outdoors, there was a lot to absorb. There was so much to appreciate on one island, from snakes found nowhere else on Earth to cultural traditions reaching back thousands of years. We only had a short visit, but the island's distinctive wildlife and deep cultural history stayed with us.
We left feeling that we had effectively represented the Conservancy's long-term research and removal program on the world stage. We also left with new international contacts and fresh ideas that we hope will lead to additional opportunities for the program and the organization.
It is a big world with a lot of flight time. But after a few days with colleagues from more than 40 countries, it felt much smaller and much more connected. We returned to Southwest Florida with new ideas, new contacts, and a better sense of where our work fits into the bigger picture.
Ian Bartoszek is a Wildlife Biologist and the Science Coordinator within the Conservancy of Southwest Florida's Environmental Science Department where he has worked since 2001. He is currently the project lead on a long-term collaborative radio-telemetry research project tracking Burmese pythons. His team has captured and removed over 1,500 pythons weighing in excess of 40,000 pounds from the southwestern Florida bio-region.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: From Naples to Sri Lanka: Python expert relishes chance to share, learn
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