According to him excessive bush burning that occurred earlier this year during the harmattan that lasted almost two months destroyed the bio-diversity makeup and habitat of most these animals.
As a result, Dr Billah explained, “the destroyed habitat also affected the food supply of most forest animals including the snakes.”
Dr Billah, a senior lecturer at the department of Animal Biology and Conservation Science at the University of Ghana, was speaking on Onua FM’s midday news.
“When we burn the forest, we kill the animals that serve as food for other animals such as snakes and so they have to move out from their habitat and search for food, which means they end up in people’s homes,” he said.
“We also cut down trees for farming and development of houses, this means we are encroaching on their dwelling places so they must also move out for food and safety,” he maintained.
He, therefore, urged residents of Essienimpong and Kwaaso, the affected communities, to call on environmental officers in the municipality to help them get rid of the snakes.
The snakes have invaded the homes of residents of the two communities for days now and they usually come out of their hide out after 7pm and hide in bedrooms, kitchens and bathrooms.
However, there are no reports of someone been bitten by the snakes as at Friday.
Meanwhile, residents in the communities believe the snake invasion had spiritual connotations signaling that their gods are angry.
Source: 3news.com|Ghana By Nii Okai Tetteh
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