Snake smitten

Imagine that you are travelling by bus and next to you, fast asleep is a little boy - innocent in his slumber. And then out of that little kid's pocket emerges the unmistakable head of a snake. Quite a terrifying thought isn't it? Yet, it's not the least impossible, if by chance, you were seated next to 'Nai Nalin'!

Snakes are among the most beautiful yet most feared reptiles in the animal kingdom. Cleopatra, famed queen of Egypt died of a snakebite and we are all familiar with the Biblical story of the serpent in the garden of Eden. Most of us just shudder at the mention of a snake, preferring to keep a healthy distance from the slithery reptiles. Not so Nalin Happuhinne, 26, affectionately known as 'Nai Nalin', for all through his childhood he collected snakes with as much enthusiasm as his friends collected stamps and coins.
Young Nalin: a hobby that just grew and grew

'It all started when I was in the third grade and among my birthday gifts was a book entitled 'Reptiles of Sri Lanka'. Leafing through it, I spotted different varieties of snakes and was so fascinated, I started to observe them out of pure curiosity. My father, when he got wind of what was going on, did not approve in the least and sent me to the Trinity College hostel so that I wouldn't have much opportunity to indulge in my hobby.'

Little did Nalin's father realise what the outcome of that would be. As fate would have it, some time after Nalin's entry to the school hostel, an exhibition was to be held and the principal - Mr. Leonard De Alwis gave him both a booth at the event and a room to continue his studies on snakes.

A small but overly inquisitive nine-year-old is what would have struck most people as they saw Nalin and his snakes at the exhibition. But unknown to the school authorities he had by this time given all those who visited his stall a card with information on how and where he could be contacted in the case of a 'snaky situation'. 

He started getting calls almost immediately. 'People are dead scared of snakes, so the minute a snake turned up in their neighbourhood, I would get an urgent call. It was like working at a police station.'

So did he enjoy being the 'snake expert'? 'It was wonderful to have a certain power over the others when you were just a kid yourself,' laughs Nalin, for his fame as the snake guy earned him a lot of respect from his classmates. He was dubbed 'Nai Nalin' and 'Gypsy Nalin' by his friends for his uncanny ability to sneak snakes into the classroom. 'I used to be asked to give lectures on snakebites and treatment to all the senior students. I was even called upon by neighbouring schools,' reminisces Nalin, 'it was a great honour.'

Nalin's eyes gleam as he recalls how he used to take his pets to school. 'I was never bullied in school. Thanks to the snakes I lived an extremely pleasant and uneventful life.' Pleasant maybe but how could it be uneventful? 'The snakes were not snakes to me, they were simply my much loved pets.'

Meanwhile his father bought a house in Kandy and realising there was no separating Nalin from his beloved snakes, built a shed alongside which was to be a storage area for his pets. 

'I remember how we had to vacate the house during the 88/89 JVP troubles. I simply let loose my entire collection of snakes and left all the doors and windows open. When I returned after three months, the neighbouring houses had all been ransacked but ours was left untouched. Unfortunately though the majority of my pets had left.'

By the time he turned twelve, Nalin had gained a wide knowledge of snakes. And for his good fortune he came upon someone who shared his passion. Giving a talk on the subject for the Sinhala Literary Union he found one senior student firing questions at him. 'I spoke to him after the meeting and found out his name was Rene Thangiah, that he was a Grade 12 student and that we shared the same passion - snakes. Rene knew everything about the theoretical aspect of the subject but was yet to have handled a snake. Our friendship just took off after that. Together with Rene I started observing snakes in their natural habitat. We went on endless excursions to Udawattekelle and Sinharaja to observe snakes.'

Nalin today: still fascinated

With some time to spare following his O/L Examination, Nalin held an exhibition where his entire collection of snakes was on display. Amongst the visitors to the exhibition was a prominent personality who found the exhibition highly interesting. Thanks to his help, Nalin was awarded a scholarship to the Natural History Society in Bombay, India where he later received his Bachelor's Degree in Herpetology and Marine Biology. He also got the opportunity to study several species close up - rattle snakes, sidewinders and his personal favorite, the green pit viper. 

'The college had one of the biggest king cobras I had ever seen, over 18 feet in length. That particular cobra when poised for attack stood at six feet, and the day before I was to handle it, I could hardly sleep for the excitement was killing me,' he recalls. 

But herpetology as a profession did not offer many career prospects, so Nalin after finishing his degree began working in a travel firm while starting the research for his Masters. 'But it was a difficult time and I was unfortunately unable to sit for my Finals,' he says with a tinge of regret.

Has he ever been bitten? 'Yes, but only three of the bites were serious,' he smiles. Two were from green pit vipers and one from a cobra. 'The last bite I received was while I was completing the research for my thesis. I was ill for well over three months since I had got the full dose of venom, around 14 ml. I remember my brother jokingly getting ready to contact the funeral parlour. I found it difficult to walk for some time after that, but I recovered and besides I had an in-depth insight as to what a green pit viper's bite really feels like, that was vital for my thesis.'

Nalin has also written two books on snakes, but is still to publish them.

According to Nalin, his family has found his passion for snakes extremely trying. 'Only my brother dared to come snake hunting with me but the minute we found a specimen he'd be miles away. Once he came into my room at night carrying all his bedding for he wanted to prove to my parents that he was not afraid. He would shine a torch and count the snakes at regular intervals during the night and whenever I asked him why he'd just reply saying that he heard a noise!'

'Once as I was walking home from school I saw both my parents huddled together opposite our usually open house. My father was quite annoyed with me and a peep into my bedroom revealed why. One of my six cobras had stuck its head out between the metal bars of its cage. I was never forgiven for that.

'My mentor throughout was Mr. Anslem De Silva who set the stepping stones for me since I used to spend all my free time with him at the university. It is thanks to him and Rene that I know so much about snakes,' Nalin says.

His biggest achievement he says was the capture of an eight-foot long cobra from a kovil in Kandy. This was the longest recorded cobra in the country. 'When I captured it the villagers started offering me flowers, incense and money thinking that I possessed supernatural powers,' Nalin recalls.

Nalin's greatest regret is that after specializing in snakes, he is unable to put his knowledge and skills in the subject to better use. 'I wish I could change the attitude most people have towards snakes,' he says. 'Like us, all that snakes really want is the freedom to live and a little bit of respect. Surely that's not asking much?'
Here are Nalin's tips on how to react when confronted by a snake *Do not handle the snake, if possible. *Never harm it - unless it's a viper it's unlikely that the creature is going to harm you. *Do not stand in the way of the snake, it deserves respect. *If bitten, remove any restrictive clothing and accessories. *Do not frighten the patient since the majority of bites are not fatal. *Take the patient to a hospital as soon as possible.