About WCS

About WCS

The World Congress on Snakes wasn’t conceived around a conference table. It sprang from an exchange of emails, when Dr. Anslem de Silva, a veteran organiser of the 4th World Congress of Herpetology (2001) and the World Crocodile Conference (2013), challenged Dr. Julie Ray: “Why not host a World Congress on snakes?” Julie seized on the idea. Dr. Anslem refined the vision, brought in Dr. Dan Natusch to add strategic muscle, and later recruited Dr. Nimal D. Rathnayake and Mr. Suranjan Karunarathna. The committee was completed with Dr. Kanishka Ukuwela. Driven by passion rather than profit, this team set out to redefine how the world engages with snakes.

Choosing Sri Lanka as the launch site is both strategic and symbolic. In this island nation, serpents permeate myth, medicine, and religion. The country harbours more than a hundred species – many found nowhere else – and its people revere the naga as a guardian spirit. Hosting the inaugural congress here sends a clear message: snake conservation must honour cultural heritage and ecological richness in equal measure.

WCS is designed to fill glaring gaps. Asia holds the bulk of global snake diversity yet lacks a unified platform for cross-border collaboration. The congress aims to convene leaders across taxonomy, ecology, snakebite management, and socio-economic research, aligning scientific excellence with on-the-ground realities to deliver solutions that benefit both biodiversity and communities. This purpose-driven event seeks to forge a network of researchers, clinicians, policy makers, and Indigenous voices committed to advancing snake biology, conservation, and public health. It focuses on areas that have been underserved – from venom evolution and snakebite care to the reintroduction of confiscated animals, socio-economic implications, and governance – and turns them into actionable frameworks.

First, WCS is not a one-off. The founders intend to convene every four years, rotating through regions rich in snake diversity. Each congress will build on the last, track progress, refine strategies, and grow a global community united by a common mandate: ensuring that snakes and people thrive together in a rapidly changing world.