As the days go by, it becomes clear how delicate we were when we likened some of the ministers to drops of water wearing away stone. Like them, a gang of swindlers, by sheer persistence, manages to erode and destroy vast landscapes shaped over ages. We have already come to terms with public attention being turned to other matters, but we would like to remind you that the performance of previous governments was also mostly a failure: catching snakes, exterminating jackals, barbecues in nature reserves, importing live meat, and more – all these have been with us for a long time.  

As reported here, the new observation system is in its final stages of development, and in the first stage it will be distributed to a small number of users only: for testing, before wider public release. Among other things, the process is being delayed because of new collaborations with additional communities outside Israel, and I (A.W.) am taking this opportunity to share here some photographs from a tour I recently took part in in a reserve located north-northeast of Bangkok in Thailand.

The green pit viper is often identified in East Asia, although in fact the name refers to several species whose definition has not been completed.  Trimeresurus albolabris is fairly common in the area. The first individual in the family that I encountered tested my reaction speed at the sight of a viper at close range to my face. Although I passed the test successfully (I lay down flat), it fled in embarrassment without being photographed. The next encounter was more pleasant and calm: a seven-year-old individual was spotted by a local guide while resting on a riverbank. About 44 species are known in the genus, most of them bearing live young, but some of them lay eggs. In southern Thailand occurs the species T. venustus, well known to many herpetologists, while in the Philippines (on Batanes Island) another beautiful species in the genus occurs, which many of us hope to have the chance to see: Trimeresurus mcgrehori. How do you deal with venomous snakes living in crowded places? I examine this at every site I reach, and can confirm that so far the initial assumption about Israel is holding up - there is no worse solution than the one implemented in the country: Viper and interface.