Following the recent adverse weather, fishermen in Batticaloa and Nawaladi were in for a rude shock as they kept catching deadly snakes instead of fish in their nets.
“During the last couple of days, a large number of snakes were caught in fishing nets around Batticaloa and Nawaladi area,” a fisherman said.
Fishermen and people in the area believe this to be a bad omen which could be a sign of a major natural disaster in the offing.
They say that before the Tsunami struck in 2004, a similar phenomenon had occurred in the Batticaloa area. However, an official of the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) allayed people’s fears noting a reduction of salt level in the sea water and rise in temperatures could be the reason for the unusual occurrence.