Inspiring young herpetologists in Sri Lanka: Interview with Anslem de Silva

Anslem de Silva, regarded as the father of modern herpetology in Sri Lanka, discussed his six-decade career with Mongabay ahead of the World Snake Conference 2026, which he is helping organize in Kandy. His path began with rescuing a stoned rat snake as a schoolboy in Matara, and grew into more than 350 scientific papers, 25-plus books, and the founding of Sri Lanka's first herpetological journal and research organization.

De Silva noted the field has grown from just three amateur herpetologists in the 1960s to roughly two dozen experts and dozens more beginners today, a shift he attributes partly to conferences and publishing platforms he built himself. Conservation biologist Ruchira Somaweera, among many researchers de Silva inspired, credited a handwritten note from de Silva at age 13 with launching his own career.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.