'Tis the Year of the Snake

Singapore is experiencing cool, rainy weather these days. The type that makes you want to snuggle something warm and never leave bed. Going to work in the mornings are a challenge.

A few weeks back, while shopping for linen, I fell in love with a purple (synthetic) fleece - a woolly blanket, in other words. Even after forcing myself to take a day to think about it and get over the "madness", I crawled back to the store the next day and bought it. I have a weakness for those things. Disturbing as it sounds, they kinda make me feel safe - from what I do not know! Probably wardrobe and under-the-bed monsters.

I had pleasant duty day at the zoo today. For the first time, I got the chance to work with two other volunteers. It was actually fun. In a series of unfortunate coincidences before today, I picked days that no one else picked so I ended up managing the station and giving a dreaded (yes, I said dreaded) commentary on the King Cobra feeding session all alone three times. On the bright side, this situation made me lose some of my fear of public speaking since I didn't have the choice of worming out of it. And today, with three volunteers at the station, I saw the least number of visitors at the zoo so far AND Elvis, the King Cobra was shedding its skin so there was no feeding (and no commentary o_O). So instead of doing the usual commentary, I was holding on to a piece of snake shedding next to the exhibit and using it as a conversation starter to strike random chats with visitors and try to interest them with reptile facts. It worked pretty well, WAY better than ordinary small talk.

Maybe I should take a piece of snake shedding to work. That way, I might be able to make more conversations with my colleagues.Good idea, Shu, you are already a weirdo at work and this will make no difference to your reputation.

Snakes like all other reptiles, shed their skin regularly to replace old or damaged skin, to grow larger in size or to get rid of parasites. During this time, they stop feeding and tend to hide in a safe place.

It's interesting to see the reactions of different people. Some shriek over it (mistaking it for an actual snake or imagining somewhere in the back of their mind that a piece of dead snake skin will bite them), others give an uncomfortable smile and walk away. But most of them are drawn to it by their curiosity and are excited to touch it and either ask questions or just listen. Parents who like to actively educate their kids during their excursion to the zoo, usually make them touch it and explain to them what it is. And some kids don't want to part with it after getting a chance to hold it. Today, two of them tore a small piece and refused to hand them back, but we have plenty so it didn't really matter.

Though we don't really do this to hear thanks (we do it for a whole lot of other reasons, like getting up close with animals and optimistically believing that we can somehow stall the extinction of certain animals species and the destructive course the planet is headed towards), it does feel a little heartwarming when some people say "Thank you for sharing" and walk away with a smile.

The approaching Chinese New Year in February happens to be the Year of the Snake! Looking forward to the three days of holidays, touring around with some visitors and eating lots of oranges.

Reptiles Rock!

Several weeks of training as a Docent have come to an end. Next week is the assessment. I'm quite nervous, knowing I can manage the theory, but perhaps not so well for the public speaking element of it.

For all my life, I have deliberately avoided situations and opportunities that involved any type of public speaking. And at age 27, I am feeling the consequences of it. On a positive note, it's comforting to know I have taken steps to work through it and in the spirit of doing something I love, I have conditioned myself to be okay with failing, taking feedback from the trainers and practicing it until I get it right. The other day, I was watching a TED talk and the speaker mentioned that in a survey conducted, "Death" was rated as the No. 4 fear, while "Public Speaking" was the first most feared thing that a majority had picked. That means most people felt that dying was a better alternative to giving a speech!

I can relate, actually. I recall many years back, I had to give a speech in school as one of the newly appointed Head Prefects. Back then, I would have happily turned down the title just so I can avoid giving The Speech before hundreds of people that included my family, teachers and friends, but that was not an option. With lots of help in rehearsing the lines and moral support from my best bud in school, I survived that fateful day. I could not feel my legs for most part of the speech, but that wasn't the worst part! Nearer to the end of my speech, my attention got fixated on a small child sitting at one of the furthest rows and I blanked out on my words. I made a quick comeback (I can't be too sure for how long I was gone) by repeating where I left off and got on with the rest of it, but I have not voluntarily opted to go through such an experience up until now!

Why is this a commonly occurring phobia in the human psychology? Here are some tips to help.

My highlight yesterday was getting to handle the live exhibit at our station (a small Royal Python aka, a Ball Python) while returning it to its enclosure. It was such a magnificent (non-venomous) creature that for a brief moment, I felt the selfish fascination that drives some people to go to great lengths to acquire them as pets and why the illegal pet trade still thrives. It was very pretty, soft and I was so mesmerised by how it glided so effortlessly along my hand! Part of me kept thinking please let me take it home for a day, I promise I will look after it well, but the sensible part of me reminded that the initial desire of owning one wears off and they belong in the wild in their natural habitats and not in our homes (in less-than-ideal conditions) for our entertainment.

Royal Pythons, being small-sized and docile, are sought out pets leading to much efforts by authorities to combat illegal trafficking and trade of these animals

Live animals are a great conversation starter with visitors. It is very easy to capture their attention as they are naturally curious and use it as an opportunity to educate them. They like to hear things they didn't already know about the animals. Here's an example; Why is a Royal Python also called a Ball Python? Answer: No, it's not the skin patterns, it's because they curl into a tight ball when threatened and hide the head safely inside, so that a predator finds it too big to be eaten. Yesterday, I met twin girls of about five years of age, who were highly fascinated by a stuffed crocodile specimen. They asked me, with the most serious attitude on their faces, "Does this crocodile have a brother crocodile and a sister crocodile?". For a moment there, I stumbled to think of a satisfactory answer. Trying not to laugh, I had to tell them, "Yes, he does". The experiences gained during visitor interactions can vary and are anything but predictable.

It's been great looking forward to the training sessions every Sunday. The facts I have been learning about crocodiles, alligators, gharials, snakes, lizards, turtles, tortoises and terrapins each week have been extremely interesting! And to go back each week with new knowledge of these animals and observe them for real is like seeing them through a new layer of understanding and respect. The more I learn, the more intrigued I am by the evolutionary connections they share with other species. Crocs are the closest living cousins to dinosaurs and they have not changed much in structure for over 200 million years (no need to, they are perfect as they are!). To think they are extensively killed for their hides to make handbags, shoes and the like is depressing (why aren't we humans born with naturalistic intelligence by default?). It's even baffling to learn that crocs are more closely related to birds than lizards, and how their four-chambered hearts are structurally similar to those of birds and mammals. Python skeletons have small vestigial limbs (showing that at one time in history, their ancestors walked and eventually found no use for it!). Then, some lizards have no limbs (they lost the use of them over time). Cool stuff.

Crocodilians - the ultimate mean machines of the wild, but not so appreciated for the crucial roles they play in nature as sanitation squads and in keeping prey populations under control

Ahhh, there are SO MANY interesting facts to learn and share about reptiles! I can't wait to start...

Snakesss

I tried asking my mother for a pet snake when I was a child. Kids in the Western hemisphere of the globe seemed to be allowed to keep them, so why couldn't we? We could remove the fangs and keep one, I suggested. But she bluntly refused. Of course, I hadn't thought it through properly - it won't be happy to eat vegetables and fruits, I can't teach it any tricks and an escaped snake is not a comforting thought. Kids nowadays are better informed about the realties of adopting wild animals.

A few years back, during a vacation back home, we were horrified to see a huge blackish snake swallowing another snake of nearly the same size in our backyard. We had never seen such a thing before or even heard of it. It was not uncommon to bump into the occasional snake in our garden - looking for food, water, a place to chill out (literally) or even having courtship rituals. But what seemed like cannibalism at the time was a shocking observation.

Yesterday, I went for my first on-the-job volunteer training session at zoo. There were several stations to pick from - birds, rain forest animals, primates, African savannah animals, domesticated animals and the night safari animals, but I thought I'll spend some quality time with the reptiles (snakes, lizards, crocodilians, tortoises and turtles). I find them quite fascinating.

Reptiles remain a class of animals that are often misunderstood and seen in negative light. They are feared, they look intimidating, there are plenty of horror movies about killer reptiles to feed the imagination, they are often associated with all things evil, they don't seem to resemble our behaviour that much, and yes, they can be deadly too. But from a biological perspective, the evolutionary adaptations that these creatures have developed to survive all these millions of years are pretty darn impressive. We easily attach ourselves to animals that look "cute" or do things that remind us closely of our behaviour  - like baby animals, furry animals, warm-blooded animals, ones with big eyes, ones that look after their young like us, docile ones or sociable ones. So in reality, there is more public support for the well being of animals that humans have an emotional attachment to compared to those that don't. Needless to say, reptiles aren't on the top of the list, despite their significant role in maintaining the balance of ecosystems. 

Yesterday's lesson was on snakes - the most misunderstood of all reptiles, I think. They are mostly timid animals that go to great lengths to avoid us humans and usually strike when startled, provoked, cornered or while guarding their eggs. But with reducing natural habitat, they often find themselves in human territory while looking for food, water, mates or safer habitats. Although only 17% of the world's snake species are venomous, any one of them would be easily be killed as a precaution if accidentally found in someone's home or backyard. Elsewhere in the world, they have a lot of demand and are captured as exotic pets or hunted for their meat, skins and as ingredients to traditional medicines which are believed to have various healing properties (not scientifically proven, of course). 

Meet Elvis 

Elvis, the yellow 4.3m King Cobra, is the star exhibit at the reptile station. He was captured several years ago at the Singapore Country Club and handed over the the zoo. Looking that impressive a specimen, he would not have survived in the wild for too long in metropolitan Singapore. I don't suppose Elvis understands that, but he sure has been forcefully recruited into being a conservation ambassador at the zoo, to represent his brethren! If I met a giant King Cobra like Elvis in the wild in a threatened position, my first reaction would be an attempt to scream and run, but before I manage that, I'll probably pass out (it is most advisable to keep calm, stand still and back away slowly when faced with a snake). Turns out King Cobras eat other snakes for food when given a choice (and hence the title "King"). So that finally solved the mystery of the snake-eating snake. 

Their defense mechanisms are so effective that a bite from a venomous snake is almost always fatal. Chances of making it to a hospital on time with access to anti-venom and making a full recovery will be something short of a miracle. That's the thing with wild animals. They and us are not meant to share the same habitat and compete for the same resources. They need their space, just like we do. It's not our sympathy they need, rather, it's our respect for their existence. Looking at the diversity of species on Earth resulting from millions of years of evolution, it is obvious that they have equally earned their right to roam the planet freely, just like we have. But what probably isn't that obvious is that ultimately, our survival as a species will depend on theirs.