At 86, Sri Lanka’s ‘father of herpetology’ inspires a new conservation generation

Anslem de Silva, commonly acknowledged as the founding father of contemporary herpetology in Sri Lanka, has devoted over six decades to meticulously cataloging the island's diverse reptile and amphibian species. While mentoring successive cohorts of researchers, de Silva recently shared his insights with Mongabay correspondent Malaka Rodrigo, as he prepares to preside over the inaugural World Congress on Snakes in Kandy, Sri Lanka, slated for October.

This gathering will be a specialized international assembly, solely focused on snake conservation and research. Throughout his illustrious career, de Silva has penned more than 350 scholarly articles and authored more than 25 books. Commencing his research endeavors in the 1960s, he found that only a scant number of Sri Lankan scholars were investigating the country's reptilian and amphibian communities.

In response to this scarcity, de Silva initiated several pioneering initiatives, starting with organizing Sri Lanka's inaugural one-day herpetological conference during the 1960s. He subsequently launched the country's first herpetological research journal, Lyriocephalus, and founded the Amphibia and Reptile Research Organization of Sri Lanka in 1990.

De Silva's tutelage has left an indelible imprint across the region. Ruchira Somaweera, a conservation biologist hailing from Sri Lanka and raised by de Silva from the tender age of 13, recounted receiving an inscribed copy of the journal from the venerable herpetologist. "Most herpetologists of my generation were molded by de Silva, and hundreds, if not thousands, of students have been inspired by his guidance, much like I was," Somaweera conveyed to Mongabay.

Born in 1940 in the southern coastal town of Matara, de Silva cultivated his fascination with snakes during his childhood after rescuing...