He has survived three severe bites from cobras and vipers and a malaria attack during his postgraduate days almost turned fatal. His family didn’t like him studying snakes, but he continued his passion. Meet Dr HT Lalremsanga, a Professor at the School of Life Sciences, Mizoram University who went on to become a fervent campaigner of snakebite management, his dedication to the cause led him to collaborate with collaborate with Premium Serum in Pune to supply anti-venin at affordable prices, especially for rural areas. His tireless efforts have saved countless lives and reshaped local attitudes towards snake conservation.
“I was bitten thrice, once by Spot-tailed Green pitviper (Trimeresurus erythrurus) and two times by Monocled cobra (Naja kaouthia). My young sister, a medic, looked after me and locked me inside my room..so that my parents didn’t know about the incident… They never liked me studying snakes,” HT Lalremsanga told EastMojo, recollecting his important phases in life. He was 31 then.
As a child, he was captivated by the vibrant colours and mysterious behaviours of the local wildlife. He would spend hours in the forest, observing snakes slithering through the underbrush and frogs leaping from leaf to leaf. His curiosity knew no bounds, and he often asked questions no one could answer. “Being a local simple boy brought up in the fringe area of Aizawl city, I used to explore different wild forest areas, riparians, etc. encountered a variety of fauna including snakes, other reptiles, amphibians, etc,” he says. Lalremsanga says he was very curious to know about the identity of these species.
“When I heard someone was killed by snakebite and other myths about snakes, I really wanted to study venomous and non-venomous snakes. During those days no one had an idea about the details of snakes even among faculties in my college (Pachhunga University College) & University (North Eastern Hills University),” he says. After his post-graduation in 2002, he started extending his PhD work on snakes and other reptiles from amphibians.
In 2001, while still a postgraduate student, HT Lalremsanga achieved a significant milestone by passing the NET-JRF examination under CSIR-UGC, which allowed him to pursue a PhD at North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) in Shillong. His research primarily focused on the rich biodiversity of Mizoram, and he conducted extensive inventory surveys of the region’s flora and fauna. Among his many discoveries, one stood out: he & his limnologist friend identified the causative agent of the seasonal change in the colouration of Rih Dil, debunking long-held mythological beliefs.
To him, the Northeast, which shares mainland India and SE Asian biogeography, is the best area to study snakes in the country.
He has contributed to the description of 24 species and 6 more new species are in the pipeline. “To me, the discovery of Ichthyophis benji was the most interesting in which paper we generated molecular data of limbless amphibians from NE India for the first time. To describe this snake-like creature, I struggled for about 15 yrs, since it was a difficult task,” he says.
His passion for education and conservation saw him producing over 30 awareness documentaries on the biology of snakes and other reptiles. He also authored a book in the local language, “Mizoram Rul Chanchin,” which has become a cornerstone in local wildlife education. Through his work, the people of Mizoram began to view snakes not as harbingers of danger but as crucial components of their ecosystem.
Lalremsanga’s influence extended into academia, where he mentored over 50 master’s dissertations, two PhD theses, and two M.Phil theses.
His current team includes three master’s students, 14 PhD and one Postdoc scholar, exploring a wide range of topics from amphibian biology to the molecular analysis of parasites in snakes. His contributions to the field have resulted in over *210 scientific papers in reputed international journals and 25 books or book chapters. In 2009, he co-founded the Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Network (BIOCONE), a non-profit environmental NGO in Mizoram. Under his leadership, BIOCONE received the Balipara Foundation Annual Award in 2015 for its outstanding contribution to nature conservation. Lalremsanga’s team has described numerous new species, including frogs, geckos, snakes, and even a parachuting gecko and India’s only known salamander.
His work has added significant knowledge to the genetic data of Mizoram’s amphibian and reptile species. Despite his numerous achievements, Lalremsanga remains a humble and dedicated scientist. He frequently serves as a resource person at various seminars, workshops, and conferences. His conservation awareness programs and animal rescue operations have made him a local hero, and he serves on over 25 professional committees, continuing to influence policies and practices in environmental conservation.
Herpetologists like Indraneil Das, Romulus Whitaker, Ashok Captain, and J. B.Slowinski have influenced him.
HT Lalremsanga is presently working towards developing an alternative approach for snakebite therapy specific to north and north-eastern India. “The antivenom generated from the Big Four snakes- Spectacled cobra (Naja naja), Saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus), Russell’s viper (Daboia russelli) and the Common krait (Bungarus caeruleus), is not effective in neutralizing many venoms of NE snakes and hence there is a dire need for a region-specific anti-snake venom,” he says.
“The absence of a green pit viper-specific monovalent anti-venom in the region further complicates the situation. The patient at any cost needs a prolonged stay in the hospital till normalization of blood coagulation causing a socio-economic burden to the victims and their families,” he adds.
HT Lalremsenga says since Indian polyvalent antivenom is inefficient in reversing the envenomation-mediated pathologies from most NE venomous snakebites, there is high demand on the need for a suitable antivenom generated from specific venomous snake species for the treatment of NE Indian venomous snake bite patients. Mizoram University is collaborating with the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology, Guwahati, Aaranyak, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham and Premium Serums and Vaccines, Pune on the preparation of an improved antivenom against other than Big Four venomous snakes of NE.
Herpetologist Dr Jayaditya Purkayastha says the contributions of Dr HT Lalremsanga to herpetofauna in Northeast India are unparalleled. He has been instrumental in assembling a dedicated team of young researchers in this field. “Under his guidance, numerous significant publications on the region’s herpetofauna have been produced. I feel privileged to be part of this team and to contribute to this important work,” Purkayastha says.
Dear Reader,
Every day, our team at EastMojo travels through rain, rough roads, and remote hills to bring you stories that matter – stories from your town, your people, your Northeast.
We do this because we believe in truthful, independent journalism. No big corporate backing, no government pressure – just honest reporting by local journalists who live and breathe the same air you do.
But to keep doing this work, we need you. Your small contribution helps us pay our reporters fairly, reach places others ignore, and keep asking the tough questions.
If you believe the Northeast deserves its own fearless voice, stand with us.
Support independent journalism. Be a Member.
Thank you,
Karma Paljor
Editor-in-Chief, eastmojo.com
Wildlife biologist Firoz Ahmed says conservation science should be grateful to have a person like Dr H T Lalremsanga. “ He is amazing and without him, Mizoram would have been a dot in conservation science,” Ahmed says.
Through his relentless pursuit of knowledge and unwavering commitment to conservation, H.T. Lalremsanga has transformed the landscape of environmental awareness in Mizoram, inspiring a new generation to appreciate and protect the natural world.
Also Read: How a Mizo body ‘intervened’ between Arakan Army and Chin state in Myanmar
You just read a story that took days to report. Help us keep our reporters on the ground in the Northeast.
Ad-free reading, support and keep important stories alive
Support once (any amount)
Scan to pay via UPI
Where is your YouTube channel? Whenever I look up for your channel, it went straight ripple channel?