HARYANA, India – The red sand boa is a non-venomous snake that thrives in dry scrublands and grasslands that offer loose sand the snake can burrow into and hide as it awaits its prey. Being one of the most illegally traded species worldwide, it is listed as ‘Near Threatened‘ in the IUCN Red List. India is no exception to the participation in the trafficking of this snake, despite its protection under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The red sand boa is now protected under the Schedule I in a recent revision of the Act.
Found in the dry parts of the country, this docile snake has a unique appearance. It is smooth, thick and sports a russet hue. Its most striking feature is its tail, which is just as thick as its body. It is blunt and rounded at the end, thus giving the illusion of looking like its head, at first glance. This is an evolutionary trait used to confuse predators.
Often called a farmer’s friend, red sand boas are also seen near farmlands, where they keep rodent populations in check as they feed avidly on mice and rats, along with birds, eggs, lizards and even other snakes.
The rampant trafficking of this species is owed to widespread superstitions and myths surrounding this ‘two-headed snake’ or ‘do muha’ as it is often called due to the characteristic of its tail. Some believe that possession of the snake will bring prosperity. Some also believe that the snake’s spinal cord can be used to cast a spell to control someone. Such superstitions fuel the trade of the snake across the country.
Another widespread myth that renders the trafficking of this snake additionally cruel is that heavier red sand boas possess stronger supernatural powers. This leads those involved in its trade to forcibly feed the snake with balls of lead that increase its weight.
Rajesh Chahal, Inspector Wildlife, Haryana Forest Department, says “In my tenure, there have been four-five cases of sand boa trafficking. And the thing is that it’s not people from one state who are involved. They are from different states. It’s not that its community based and that only a specific community is doing this. People from different communities can be involved. And it’s also not that only uneducated people are involved. It’s not that only uneducated people believe in superstitions. We find more educated people and well-established folk who have a decent amount of money involved in this.”
“Earlier, sand boa could be seen easily. We would spot them on dirt roads, along fields. Now, it is not being seen,” he adds.
Given its megadiversity, India is among the top 20 countries for wildlife trafficking. Its proximity to southeast Asian countries and fast-growing aviation market makes India an ideal source, transit, and destination country for illegal trade. Countless species and their parts, such as tigers, turtles, tortoises, monitor lizards, pangolins, zebra loaches and more continue to be trafficked online and offline.
This video was originally produced with the support of the ‘Video Reporting Fund 2024’ — a joint initiative of Mongabay-India and ALT EFF.
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Banner image: A red sand boa. Image ©Shatabdi Chakrabarti.
Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.
This is the red sand boa.
A non-venomous, calm and harmless snake found in India.
It is protected under the highest Indian wildlife laws,
giving it the same protection status as the tiger.
Despite this, some old and new bizarre stories
about the red sand boa make it one of the
most illegally traded reptiles in the country.
I stand before you tonight under indictment
for the alleged crime of having voted
We spoke with researchers, wildlife rescuers, forest officials,
and people involved in the illegal trade
to learn about the myths and misinformation
that fuel the crime and harm a rather docile creature.
The red sand boa is a thick, reddish-brown burrowing snake.
It digs into loose mud and sand
and spends much time underground.
Mostly nocturnal, it waits for rats, mice and lizards
to walk close to its hiding spot before striking.
The snake is widespread across India in dry, sandy
and rocky terrains, often near farms.
If we talk about Delhi NCR, the most dominant kind of habitat we have is either
river Yamuna floodplain or we have this proper Aravalli scrubland.
They occupy this kind of habitat because this is
more like a scrubland, sandy area
and the sand boa basically prefers this kind of grassland
where there is some loose sand.
It prefers that sandy habitats and keeps on burrowing.
This sand-loving snake has a unique look.
It gets it from its tail.
The thick and blunt tail resembles its head,
the reason for its moniker,
‘do muha’ which means ‘double-headed.’
This is a kind of a defence mechanism.
Whenever they sense any danger,
they coil themselves into a ball.
And they place their tail over their body.
Because most of the time if any bird attacks it,
or when any predator attacks it,
the tail can bear the brunt of it.
And sometimes this is also a strategy to hunt.
But the snake doesn’t have two heads obviously.
But around the country,
the red sand boa’s appearance and the ‘do muha’ tag
have sparked superstitions,
a driving force behind its trade.
We don’t know about snakes
that is why they are so much prevale
