A preview of the “On the Trail” bulletin
The Indian border police seized 202 Indian sand boas (Gongylophis conicus) from the bags of Alif and Talib Mal in Ghewmari, Dhubri District, State of Assam, India, at the beginning of May. The two brothers were attempting to travel to Bangladesh with the “baby” boas, which were born in April-May and stolen from rock fissures, burrows, gravel, or under brick piles.
Sand boas are roughly 15 cm long at birth, and grow up to 1-1.2 m long. They’re commonly known as the “two-headed snakes”. Their body is stocky, their head however is skinny and resembles their tail. According to naturalists, this is an adaptive strategy to trick predators such as grey monitor lizards, increasing their chances of suffocating them. This unique anatomical feature inspired numerous myths about the animal that continue to circulate. Many people see the Indian sand boa as the embodiment of invulnerability, intelligence, sexual strength, and financial prosperity. In addition, some think that they can find hidden treasure in gardens and under houses. Over time, the reputation of the “two-headed snakes” spread to China from India. More recently, the belief that sand boas carry iridium, a (very) rare earth metal worth up to 100,000-150,000 US$/kg, has become conveniently popular. Unfortunately, two-headed snakes will continue to turn heads and fuel the wildlife smuggling market.
202, this is the largest seizure in India of this species listed into Appendix II of the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as CITES. Investigators are trying to determine if the Mal brothers coming from West Bengal were simply attempting to sell their cargo on their own, or if they’re a part of a larger organization capable of selling the sand boas in Hong Kong or mainland China at the highest price. In India, an adult boa can be sold for roughly 2 million rupees, or 20,650 US$. The boa is “bankable”.
Seizure on May 1, 2025 in Ghewmari, India © BSF
Indian sand boa © Denzil Britto
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