• Herpetologist Dr. Ruchira Somaweera on rethinking reptilean fear, myth, and conservation

Reptiles rarely enter public conversation gently. They arrive wrapped in fear, or at the very least, apprehension – a snake on a road, a crocodile near water, a sudden movement where none was expected. For many, the response is primal – fight or flight. And fight usually means kill first, ask later. 

For behavioural ecologist and herpetologist Dr. Ruchira Somaweera, this fear-based reaction is familiar. It has shaped his career, his research priorities, and his public outreach work. With more than two decades of field experience across Asia and Australia, Dr. Somaweera has spent much of his life studying animals most people would rather avoid.

“Reptiles are the underdogs [of wildlife],” Dr. Somawareera said. “Even as a child, I was drawn to the things other people did not want to touch or think about. Everyone liked birds and mammals. Reptiles were ignored, feared, or misunderstood. That made me curious. There was also the danger aspect of it. I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I like danger and taking risks.” 

That curiosity, combined with a taste for risk and fieldwork, led him from school societies in Colombo to global conservation research, and now back to Sri Lanka through teaching, media, and public lectures. 

Reptiles and fear

When people talk about reptiles, danger dominates the conversation. Dr. Somaweera argued this framing was deeply misleading, and that this misconception was what served to harm reptiles most. 

“The first thing that comes to mind when you say reptiles is danger,” he said. “The idea that most reptiles want to kill humans is an absolute myth. In fact, of all the reptile species, very few are responsible for human deaths, and even then, most of these occasions take place when reptiles are provoked or threatened. No animal is going to go out of its way to come and bite you. That fear is the most common misconception around reptiles.”

That said, Dr. Somaweera explained that the fearful reaction humans felt when they saw a reptile or other creature that prompted caution was not irrational. It is evolutionary. Humans who feared unfamiliar animals were more likely to survive. The problem arises when that instinct goes unexamined and unchallenged.

“In Sri Lanka, fear is reinforced by myth,” he said. “From karma narratives about killing snakes to exaggerated beliefs about venom and bites, we are a nation full of stories. Many of them are wrong.”

This social stigma has consequences. Snakes are killed on sight. Crocodiles are framed as villains rather than apex predators. Sea snakes are dismissed as irrelevant because they live out of sight. The result is a conservation crisis driven as much by perception as by habitat loss.

Applied science and the missing question

Much of Dr. Somaweera’s work focuses on what he calls applied science. Research not for journals alone, but for decision-making.

“In many cases, we are good at generating data,” he said. “We know crocodiles are threatened. We know snakes are declining. But the question often stops there. I want to ask, ‘so what?’ If this matters, what are we going to do about it?”

On Thursday (15), Dr. Somaweera will deliver the first Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) Monthly Lecture for 2026 – a platform established in 2000 and which has become one of Sri Lanka’s most influential conservation platforms, bringing rigorous science, lived field experience, and honest debate into one room. Titled ‘Sexy Reptiles and What We Do with Them,’ the talk will focus on applied science, coexistence, and turning knowledge into action.

They spark conversations and collaborations, and often the very projects that address the issues raised serve as a meeting ground for researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and citizens – where ideas are tested, partnerships are formed, and conservation action begins.

Starting 2026, that legacy continues – stronger, sharper, and urgently relevant – with Dr. Somaweera’s lecture setting the stage for moving forward. “This lecture is not about making people love reptiles,” he said. “It is about understanding them well enough to live alongside them.”

Examining stories from the Sundarbans, sea snakes from Lombok, crocodiles from Australia, and many more examples, Dr. Somaweera will illustrate how fear without knowledge leads to conflict and knowledge without action leads nowhere. 

“What we need is applied understanding,” he said. “Science that answers real questions. Education that respects people’s realities. Conservation that starts with how humans think.”

His upcoming lecture will draw heavily on case studies where research moved beyond observation into action. Coexisting with large crocodiles in populated landscapes. Reducing conflict with king cobras. Understanding sea snake behaviour to protect fisheries workers.

“These are not abstract problems,” he said. “People live with these animals every day. Conservation messaging fails when it ignores that reality.”

The impact of reptiles on Sri Lanka

Reptiles play roles most people never consider. Ecological balance is one. Economic value is another.

“In Sri Lanka, even the most well-known reptiles are poorly studied,” Dr. Somaweera said. “We do not fully understand what they do in ecosystems. But theoretically, we know they play key roles in keeping systems in balance.”

Snakes, in particular, act as natural pest controllers. Rats are among the biggest agricultural pests in the country. Fewer snakes mean more rats. More rats mean crop loss. “That is an indirect economic value,” he said. “You may not see it immediately, but the cost of losing reptiles is real.”

Tourism presents another overlooked opportunity. Crocodiles, monitors, and reptiles more broadly draw visitors in many parts of the world. Australia and Malaysia have built strong reptile tourism models. Sri Lanka has not.

“There is huge potential,” Dr. Somaweera said. “The biggest limitation here is not habitat disturbance. It is our legal framework. Reptiles are protected, which is good, but the rules around engagement are outdated and restrictive.”

Responsible reptile tourism is not passive. It involves searching, lifting logs, and entering habitats. Done poorly, it causes damage. Done well, it creates value and incentives for protection. “Many countries do this successfully,” he said. “It is possible. We just have not invested the thought or systems into it.”

The role of education

The key to fighting any misconception is education, and when it comes to reptiles and reptile behaviour, one of Dr. Somaweera’s strongest criticisms is how education programmes are designed.

“Many education efforts are too fact-heavy or come from a place of privilege, telling people that they shouldn’t do this or they shouldn’t do that,” he said. “They tell people what not to do, without offering alternatives. That does not work when you are dealing with fear and daily risk.”

Instead, Dr. Somaweera advocates for simple, practical guidance. Fewer rules. Clear actions. Language people understand. “If you can say, do these three things and your chance of survival is higher, people will listen,” he said. “There is no point telling someone not to kill a snake when people around them are dying from snakebites. Perception has to change first.”

Habitat protection remains critical. Dr. Somaweera is clear on that. But he argued habitat alone was not enough. “You can protect every habitat you want,” he said. “But if human attitudes do not change, it will not last.”

For reptiles, mindset is everything. A snake in a protected forest still crosses roads. A crocodile still enters waterways used by people. Without tolerance, protection collapses at the edge of the reserve.

Education, then, becomes the foundation. Not elite education. Not English-only campaigns aimed at urban audiences. “The people who encounter reptiles daily are not English-speaking city dwellers,” he said. “They are farmers, fishers, and villagers. Education has to happen in Sinhala and Tamil, in formats people relate to.”

This belief led Dr. Somaweera to accessible public outreach long before it became fashionable. His Sinhala-language YouTube channel, ‘Ru Goes Wild,’ translates scientific knowledge into everyday language, without lecturing or fearmongering. 

“Science means nothing if it stays locked away,” he said. “My responsibility is not only to do the research, but to take it to people in a form they can use.”

Dr. Ruchira Somaweera will deliver the Nations Trust WNPS Monthly Lecture ‘Sexy Reptiles and What We Do with Them’ at 6 p.m. on 15 January at the Jasmine Hall, BMICH. Entry to the lecture is free and open to all