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Snake rescue & conservation · Sri Lanka

Know the Snake.Protect Lives.

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A Sri Lankan green pit viper coiled on a branch in the Sinharaja rainforest, its yellow-green and black scales in sharp focus.

Checked on your device first and sent to Google Gemini only if needed. We never store it. Only photograph snakes from a safe distance.

Discover Sri Lanka's snakes, connect with trusted rescuers, and help protect people and wildlife.

Find a Rescuer Bitten? Call 1990

Explore Snake Species How it works

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Nearby rescuers

A snake in the house? Find help close to home.

Search by district or share your location to see rescuers who cover your area. Keep watching the snake from a safe distance while you wait — it helps the rescuer find it.

Rescuers across Sri Lanka

Browse the full rescuer directory

Why Save Snakes Lanka

We share this island with more than a hundred kinds of snake. Most want only to be left alone.

Many of Sri Lanka's snakes are found nowhere else on Earth, and only a small number are dangerous to people. Fear and guesswork, though, cost lives on both sides.

Save Snakes Lanka brings together careful identification, a network of trusted rescuers and clear safety guidance, so that every encounter can end with people safe and the snake back where it belongs.

  1. Identify

    Learn the snakes of Sri Lanka from expert-reviewed profiles and photographs.

  2. Rescue

    Reach trained rescuers who safely move snakes away from homes and workplaces.

  3. Protect

    Understand first aid and prevention, and why snakes matter to our ecosystems.

Forested hills of the Sinharaja rainforest under low cloud.

“Distance is the best protection — for both of us.”

The first rule of every encounter
The forested hills of Sinharaja, in the wet zone Photo: Chamath Gunasekera · CC BY-SA 4.0

Snakes of Sri Lanka

Learn the snakes you are most likely to meet.

Start with the species that matter most for safety. Names are shown in English, Sinhala and Tamil, and every profile is being checked by herpetologists.

Never use a photo alone to decide whether a snake is safe. Keep your distance from every snake.

Explore all species

Photo identification · Beta

Not sure what you saw?

A photo can help. Our AI suggests likely species with an honest measure of confidence — never a promise that a snake is safe.

  1. Photograph from a safe distance

    Use your zoom. Never move closer to a snake, or try to make it move, for a better picture.

  2. See likely matches

    Up to three possible species, and how confident each match is.

  3. Act on safety advice, not guesses

    Every result links to nearby rescuers and first aid — whatever the suggestion says.

Snakebite first aid

A snakebite is always a medical emergency.

Antivenom is given in hospital. Every minute counts, even when the bite looks minor or the snake seemed harmless.

Call 1990

Do

  • Move away from the snake. Keep the person calm, still and lying down if possible.
  • Call 1990 or take the person to the nearest hospital immediately.
  • Remove rings, bangles, anklets and tight clothing near the bite before swelling starts.
  • Keep the bitten limb still, as you would for a broken bone, and carry the person if you can.
  • Note the time of the bite. Photograph the snake only if you can do so from a safe distance.

Do not

  • Do not cut, suck, burn or squeeze the wound.
  • Do not tie a tight tourniquet or band around the limb.
  • Do not apply herbal remedies, ice, stones or chemicals.
  • Do not try to catch or kill the snake.
  • Do not wait for symptoms. Some dangerous bites cause little pain at first.

General guidance only, based on World Health Organization advice. It does not replace treatment by a doctor.

How rescue works

From first sighting to a safe release.

  1. Step 1

    Keep your distance

    Move people and pets away, but keep watching where the snake goes from at least a few metres.

  2. Step 2

    Contact a rescuer

    Find a rescuer who covers your district and call or message them directly.

  3. Step 3

    Share what you see

    Your location, where the snake is hiding and, if it is safe, a photo taken with zoom.

  4. Step 4

    Safe relocation

    The rescuer removes the snake and releases it in suitable habitat away from homes.

Field notes

Read before you need it.

All articles

For rescuers

Already rescuing snakes? Join the network.

Register your team, choose the districts you cover and update your availability, so people can find you when it matters most.

  • A verified badge after review
  • Set your own service areas
  • Show when you are available
  • Choose how people contact you
Register as a rescuer How verification works
Photo: Thusitha Jayasundara · CC BY-SA 4.0