EXCESSIVE EXPORT AND SMUGGLING OF SNAKES PUT ECOLOGICAL BALANCE AT RISK: Nose-horned Viper Left Without Legal Protection

Unlike other regional and European countries Montenegro has no legal protection of venomous snake species which makes them exposed to trade and smuggling. Biologists warn of looming hemorrhagic fever due to excessive nose-horned viper hunting

Each year more than 200 nose-horned vipers are exported from Montenegro to Serbia thus putting at risk this reptile species which is important for maintaining ecological balance. Montenegro is the only country in the region where law does not protect venomous snakes and hence they are fit for trade and smuggling.

Even though Serbia has never received export license from Montenegro, the nose-horned viper trade between the two countries continues without hindrance. The Serbian Ministry of Environmental Protection has already issued 4 annual licenses to Belgrade’s Institute of Virology, Vaccines and Sera – Torlak for the import of 300 live nose-horned vipers (Vipera ammodytes) from Montenegro. On the other hand, Montenegro’s Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism and its Environmental Protection Agency has repeatedly denied the export license. But the denial thereof in reality means- approval. The aforementioned Agency argues that the nose-horned viper is not a protected species in Montenegro and hence “the authorities are not obliged to issue a license”.

The Montenegrin Centre for Investigative Journalism (CIN-CG) queried the Serbian Ministry of Environmental Protection on just how many permits it has issued for the return of the nose-horned vipers to Montenegro. The reply came in only one word- “none”.

The same Ministry stressed that the nose-horned viper is amongst the protected species in Serbia and the capturing of vipers in their natural habitats has been illegal since 2013. The Torlak Institute consequently lodged its first request for import of snakes in 2014 when 140 nose-horned vipers arrived from Montenegro. In the next three years 218, 126 and 33 snakes followed respectively. According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection another request for 200 vipers was lodged in May this year.

The authorities in Montenegro say that viper exports cannot endanger the species and don’t bother to step up protection. On the other hand, the field experts who spoke to the Montenegrin Centre for Investigative Journalism (CIN-CG) and the Monitor Weekly claim that such appraisals are reckless

The Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism (MSDT) has highlighted that “according to up to date research and monitoring of the aforementioned species and their density (nose-horned viper and common adder) there’s currently no need for their protection on a national level”. Nevertheless the same Ministry says that “if it turns out that the Montenegrin Protected Species List has to be revised upon extensive field research in regard to Natura 2000 nomination, then the nose-horned viper will come to the fore”.

Natura 2000 is a network of core breeding and resting sites for rare and threatened species that stretches across all EU countries.

Furthermore, the MSDT told us that “As the Natura 2000 network criteria have to be met on the part of Montenegro prior to Montenegro’s accession to the EU, it is most certain that the Protected Species List revision will be decided by then”.

Likewise “depending on the state of the species, a total ban on hunting for antiserum may be imposed in certain localities of the country”.

The Agency’s ruling in March of this year quotes the opinion of the Department for Nature Conservation, Monitoring, Analyses and Reporting: “Capture and export of 200 Vipera ammodytes (nose-horned viper) from Montenegro in May-July 2018 (localities: Danilovgrad, Lazine, Koljat, Ocinici, Cetinje, Pecurica, Vladimir, Ostros and the Pljevlja area) does not threaten the species’ survival or has any impact on its population density”.

We repeatedly asked the Agency to explain on what premises it concluded that the capture and export of nose-horned vipers would not threaten that particular species. The Agency replied that it did not have the exact data but its finding was based on regular expert field surveys.

In an interview with CIN-CG/Monitor, biologist Vuk Ikovic emphasized that there were no credible statistics. He stated that “when it comes to a particular species, they conducted research in just a couple of localities but the overall situation has remained unknown”. He says that population research of the common adder and the karst adder took place in the Bjelasica National Park while the nose-horned viper was not included in the research.

Furthermore his colleague Bogic Gligorovic confirms that “there are neither spreadsheets of endangered species along with their locations in Montenegro. The drafting of the same may be in early stages at best”. Jovana Janjusevic of the Bird Protection and Research Centre points out that the estimates about how much the snake species are endangered are clearly made without scientific methodology.

“Therefore it makes sense to ask who determines the expediency and how many units of an endangered species are to be captured since Montenegro doesn’t have the Red Book of reptile populations review” she told CIN-CG/Monitor.

The Agency explained that “real venomous snakes population data requires a long-term research which can be very demanding due to inaccessibility of the terrain and climate conditions”.

There are 15 snake species in Montenegro of which three are the venomous- nose-horned viper, common adder and karst adder. The Nature Museum of Montenegro director Lidija Polovic points out that Montenegro abounds with reptiles unlike almost any other place in Europe, hence the country has a high responsibility to preserve that wealth for the generations to come. She explained to CIN-CG/Monitor that snakes had an important role in the ecosystem as they prevent the spread of rodents and insects. “The excessive spread of rodents could have harmful effects on humans in the sense of harming crops and other goods as well as posing as a health risk since they spread contagious diseases”.

The bubonic plague that killed a third of the European population in the 14^th century had been brought in by the rats that disembarked from the sea vessels that docked in the port cities- reminds biologist Ikovic. As the rats had no natural predators like snakes, the mortality rate was greater than in the country. He warns that certain localities may be deprived of nose-horned vipers due to excessive hunting, thus opening doors to hemorrhagic fever.

Besides the role they play in ecosystem maintenance, the snake venom is also used in cosmetics industry and in manufacturing of medicines that fight tumours, regulate diabetes, blood pressure etc.

The Torlak Institute makes use of Montenegro’s nose-horned vipers for the manufacturing of antivenom. Gligorovic explains that no other institution in the region supplies Montenegro’s health administration with snake antivenom. According to the Public Health Institute data for 2013-2016 there were between 33 and 38 discharges from hospital due to venomous animal attacks.

Ikovic further argues that another problem is the timing of nose-horned viper hunt which happens in early spring when male sperm is still under development. As a consequence, many vipers die upon arrival in the Torlak Insitute. “Likewise the vipers that have been milked for venom should be returned to their original habitat so to keep the population intact. Unfortunately, this has not been the case” says Ivkovic. Thus, the natural habitats cannot maintain the balance.

Biologists also warn about inadequate handling of snakes as hunters use long wooden grippers which squeeze the viper’s neck “thus damaging the esophagus, the mouth opening, and also breaks the neck bones, thus more than half of the captured vipers have such injuries. The hunters only care to have the snakes encased regardless of whether they are injured or not. The Torlak on the other hand never accepts injured or sick snakes thus exacerbating the whole issue – explains Ivkovic.

Herpetologist Rastko Ajtic published scientific research back in 2008 which pointed out that no existing national regulation protected the nose-horned vipers hence they could be hunted without restriction: “In March and April 351 vipers were netted in Montenegro to be sold to The Torlak Institute for antivenom manufacturing. The research emphasized that “the proper training of suppliers (snake hunters from Serbia and Montenegro) was one of the priorities of the Torlak Institute”.

Ajtic is currently a field associate- herpetologist in the Serbian Nature Conservation Institute and he confirms  in the interview with CIN-CG/Monitor that not much progress has been made when it comes to training: “As a matter of fact the snakes have not been hunted in Serbia for the last ten years so no one signed up for training. In Montenegro there are still those who hunt the nose-horned viper, but they are not adequately trained. I can say that because I check every imported snake to establish if it has injuries in the neck area due to inappropriate handling, since those injuries may eventually kill them.”

The snake hunters in Montenegro that CIN-CG/Monitor tried to interview declined to talk about this topic.

“The snake tongs are used to catch them, and then you grip the snake neck by hand so to avoid inflicting injury to a snake” we are told by the Environmental Protection Agency. We further asked the Agency to explain how the snakes are hunted for the Torlak Institute, who does the job, and how much the hunters get paid. The Agency’s responded that “very experienced local snake hunters who live in the hunting areas do the job. The Podgorica based Glossary Ltd. cooperates with the snake hunters when it comes to export of the catch”.

The Glossary ltd. says that the company imports and distributes snake antivenom, while in terms of nose-horned vipers export, it only acts as a forwarding agent. The Torlak Institute has remained silent to our inquiries.

“Montenegro should ban the nose-horned viper hunt until it has a clear situation on the ground and then the authorities should draft long-term measures to keep the stock in good shape” says Ikovic. He also emphasizes that one of the ways forward is to provide conditions for hibernation of vipers in the Institute as well as breeding in captivity.

Ajtic stresses that the Torlak Institute has managed, after 15 years, “to overcome all hurdles for the nose-horned viper breeding in captivity”. Recently the Institute made 300 viper terrariums for breeding, based on expert recommendations of the Nature Conservation Institute of Serbia.

Unlike surrounding countries Montenegro hasn’t changed anything in its treatment of reptile species. “Back then we were still in the federal union, and don’t get me wrong, I made an exhaustive list of animals (amphibians and reptiles) which needed protection in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and later in Serbia and Montenegro. When the list was concluded it turned out that those venomous snake species were expunged from the list. When I asked why, I got derisive responses from some people whom I wouldn’t like to name” recalls Ajtic.

According to biologist Gligorovic all three species of venomous snakes are legally and effectivelly protected in the countries around. That's not the case in Montenegro

In Croatia, the nose-horned viper and the karst adder are strictly protected species while the common adder is also on the protection list. Serbia as well as Albania also protect by law the aforementioned venomous snakes. In Albania the species are a part of the “Red List” with “low risk of extinction” status. Hunting, killing or disturbing those species is prohibited by law. The fine that one had to pay for killing a nose-horned viper in Serbia is 120€, while for killing a common adder the fine is 800€. To kill a protected animal also carries a prison sentence of up to one year. The fine for killing a nose-horned viper in Croatia is almost 1,000€.

The Nature Museum director Polovic believes that the reptile species protected list should be revised as soon as possible. “The populations of the nose-horned viper, the common adder and the karst adder are under threat due to destruction of their habitats, excessive hunting for either milking of venom or to have them in various collections. Also the merciless killing of snakes out of sheer fear further exacerbates survival of snakes''.

Biologists call for harmonization of the national legislature with the Bern Convention (on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats) which Montenegro did sign. “The nose-horned viper is strictly under legal protection pursuant to the Bern Convention and hence the snakes should be on the protected species list of Montenegro” says Ivkovic.

The Agency (EPA) explained that the protected species list was drafted and adopted in 2006 while Montenegro ratified the Bern Convention in 2008: “So the aforementioned list should be revised. Furthermore it is necessary to comply with the current norms and because new species have been detected in Montenegro lately”.

The Coalition 27 (named after Chapter 27 of the EU accession talks which deals with environment and the issues thereof) which gathers akin non-governmental organizations (Green Home, Bird Protection and Research Centre- BPRC, North Country, Niksic Youth Environmentalists Association and the Green Action from Croatia) in its Shadow Report points out that the species which are protected by law on the European level are not protected in Montenegro which is a daring example of the national legislation being out of step with the European regulations.

“The three venomous snake species along with some other species that didn’t make it to the protected species list in Montenegro will be back on the agenda once Chapter 27 is open. Consequently the government will have to meet a number of technical criteria including the Approximation Strategy adoption. That will be a clear action plan with time tables so as to produce visible results instead of earlier “progress has been made” remarks. Earlier very critical European Commission reports and European Parliament resolutions have made that clear”, says Jovana Janjusevic of the BPRC 

Officially there is no smuggling, but the market is thriving

There are many sales adds of Montenegrin nose-horn vipers on international websites where snake lovers get together. The most popular vipers are those from Ada Bojana which are highly valued because of their unique red shades.

We reached out to the seller in the Czech Republic and found out he had already sold the female viper from Ada. Nevertheless he said he would get another one during the summer and the price would be 100€. On another site a Dutch seller announced the sale of a Montenegrin viper. He explains that he sells a female viper from 80€. Both individuals declined to share how and where they got the vipers.

Biologist Vernes Zagora warned about the issue two years ago saying that a grown pair a male and a female) can reach the price of 700€.

In an interview with CIN-CG/Monitor Zagora stressed that the situation has not  improved: “We kept writing to the Agency to warn about particular cases. We haven’t received any reply”, ends Zagora.

The Agency acknowledges that it has received information from the Environmental Inspectorate, the Customs Administration, NGOs and concerned citizens about snakes being smuggled out of Montenegro. Consequently, “The Protocol for Handling” is currently being drafted in order to deal with the smuggling.

However, the Environmental Inspectorate claims that it has no findings about venomous snakes being smuggled out of Montenegro. The inspectors were called up only once by the customs officers at the Dobrakovo Border Crossing in July 2017 when a Red Tail Boa had been left by an unknown person between the border crossings and was subsequently caught and handed over to the Natural History Museum in Podgorica.

The Customs Administration has reported only 4 cases of nose-horned viper export since 2008 while no smuggling attempts have been reported. Nevertheless, that doesn’t prove that there is no smuggling though.

“Had our country protected the snakes on time we would not have had such a massive and illegal snake hunt and exhibitions of the same at the Terraristika Hamm in Germany -the largest European stock exchange of reptiles which happens three times a year” concludes Jovana Janjusevic.

Others do it better

Vipera ammodytes (Linnaeus, 1758); nose-horned viper, sand viper – the most venomous snake throughout Montenegro up to the altitudes of 1,500m and sometimes beyond. The nose-horned viper is not protected in Montenegro. It is listed as protected in the Appendix II of the Bern Convention and in the Appendix IV of the Natura 2000 network of protected habitats.

Vipera berus (Linnaeus, 1758); common adder – it is found in the altitudes exceeding 1,200m. The common adder is not protected in Montenegro, but it is in the surrounding countries of the region. It is listed in the Appendix III of the Bern Convention.

Vipera ursinii (Bonaparte, 1835); karst adder, steppe adder, meadow viper – the smallest venomous snake in Montenegro. It has remained in mountainous habitats. It can be found only in the altitudes above 1,100m. The Karst adder is not protected in Montenegro. However, other countries within the region have imposed strict protection. It has been listed in the Appendix II of the Bern Convention and in the Appendix IV of the Natura 2000 network of protected habitats.

Predrag NIKOLIĆ