Hello everyone: I am interested to hear from people who live and conduct research around the world.
I recently launched a project in Panama and Costa Rica to go into remote communities and talk to the residents about how to co-exist and identify snakes (this is something many have asked me to do for their communities). This project was prompted by the high number of bites each year (2800 annually in Panama!) and the recent publication of my book on venomous snakes in the region. I set up a GoFundMe campaign (http://www.gofundme.com/dh9p8c) and have been met with a really interesting response. Several people have asked why is the project important and one person even pointed out that "bites are typically linked to stupidity and alcohol consumption." It is true that many bites in the US are as a result of drinking, but the majority of bites in Latin America are incidental, occurring in rural areas where people still work the land and live close to nature. Is it common for us to now associate snakebites with alcohol consumption? Have we forgotten about people who live and work in areas where there are potentially dangerous snakes? What enters your mind when you hear of someone getting envenomated in the US? In an undeveloped country? Thank you for all ideas! Julie Julie M. Ray, MSc, PhD Director La MICA Biological Station La Montaña para Investigación y Conservación Ambiental El Cope-La Pintada. Provincia de Cocle. Republica de Panama Fundación Centro de Investigación Biológica El Copé, S.A. (Panama) www.lamica.org [email protected]
