I saw great photo of snake taken in Singapore, then I asked about it, how did she search for that snake and photograph it. Then she told me about ‘herping’ activity.
That’s the first time I heard about ‘herping’.
Here is our talk with Serin Subaraj ( Co-founder of the Herpetological Society of Singapore, Wildlife Naturalist and Wildlife Photographer )
What is Herping?
“herping” which comes from the Greek word for crawling.
Herping is the art of looking or searching for reptiles and amphibians
Herping can be done during the day or night.
But mostly frogs and snakes mostly come out at night ( nocturnal critters ) so herping mostly done at night.
Why are you interested in this herping activity?
I have always been fascinated with the natural world. My interest towards herpetofauna stemmed from their beauty, the challenge of finding them and to show the public that they are Severely misunderstood and under appreciated.
As one of the co-founder of The Herpetological Society of Singapore, Can you tell us how this society was formed?
The society was formed by a group of like-minded individuals who have a passion for nature, conservation and herpetofauna. It was formed to encourage and inspire fellow like-minded individuals to pursue their passion. It was also formed to educate Singaporeans on the amazing herpetofauna diversity that exists in Sg and the importance of their conservation
If we want to learn how to ‘herping’ any guidance and any tour that we can follow?
Please Follow the HSS (Herpetological Society of Singapore) Facebook page to join our walks to learn more about the herpetofauna in Singapore.
HSS FB: https://www.facebook.com/herpsocsg/
HSS Website: https://herpsocsingapore.wordpress.com/
Can you tell us the basic things we need to know if we want to do herping?
The simplest and easiest way to go herping is to have patience.
Walk slowly and scan your surrounds. Many species of herps are well camouflaged or hidden in the leaf litter or dense foliage.
Some basic things:
– Please not to touch or handling them as much as possible
– Leave these creature in the place you found it
– Make sure not to go alone, please bring you buddy.
– Don’t forget your handphone and charge it. It’s useful for emergency
– Torchlight is useful tool to find the creatures.
Any tips and guidance for photographer in the process of herping?
Always approach a reptile or amphibian slowly as sudden movement will cause them to flee.
If it is a venomous snake, give it a solid 2m of space for safety.
Ensure that the flash set up as a good and thick diffuser so as to not blind the animal. Refrain from firing off the flash multiple times as it can affect the animals eyes and behaviour.
Note: All the photos above was taken in Singapore
Please visit: https://www.instagram.com/serinnaturephotography/ for other amazing wildlife photos from Serin
Herpetological Society of Singapore
https://herpsocsingapore.wordpress.com/
We are trying to learn and understand our nature and wildlife and try not to disturb them.
“Take nothing but memories, leave nothing but footprints!” Chief Si ahl
