This herping event in Kolar may help you look at snakes in a different way

CHENNAI: Kalinga Centre for Rainforest Ecology (KCRE) will conduct a herping event in Kolar district of Karnataka on January 26 and 27 to introduce and enthuse people about finding life, especially reptiles, around them.
This 24-hour event – “Herping: dusk-to-day with Gowri Shankar” -- will start at 3pm on January 26 and conclude around the same time the next day at Grama Vikasa Kendra, Honnsetthalli, in Kolar.Gowri Shankar, a wildlife biologist and herpetologist who has been studying snakes for over two decades and herped across India and 15 other countries, will be leading the walks.
Akin to birding and butterflying, herping is all about walking trails looking for reptiles and amphibians. Doing this with an expert herpetologist allows for interesting interaction, understanding habitats, and learning more about reptiles.
Shankar is popularly known for his work on king cobras and has featured on wildlife documentaries like the ‘King Cobra and I’, ‘Secrets of the King Cobra ‘, 'One million snake bites', 'Asia's deadliest snakes', 'Wildest India', 'Wild India', 'Mysteries of Wild India' and 'Cobra King' by channels like the BBC, Discovery, NatGeo Wild, Animal Planet, Smithsonian and the National Geographic Channel. In 2015 ,he was awarded the 'Herpetologist of the Year' by the Swedish Herpetological Society.
The KCRE is a leading environmental education facility in India situated at Agumbe in Shivamogga.
“Reptiles are sadly a group of animals that most people fear and are hence mindlessly killed. Such unfairness can change only with awareness and appreciation," said Shankar who is also the director of KCRE.
"This event will help people see that reptiles are extremely interesting, highly adaptable, and totally amazing. We will also screen a documentary on king cobras for villagers and interact with them to understand their views on human snake conflict. Participants shall then engage in discussions on mitigating the conflict.”
Contact kalinga@kalingacre.com or call +91 9480877670 for more details.