In the wild heart of Bolivia, where the Andean highlands descend into dense Amazon rainforest, two Spanish herpetologists follow the faint trail of a rumoured viper that no one has ever described. From crowded community work days called minga in the village of Bella Vista to the isolated palm forest where men live for weeks cutting sacred palm leaves, Juan Timms and Jairo Cuevas track some of the most feared snakes of South America including the Mattogrosso Lancehead, the elusive Andean pitviper, the tropical rattlesnake and rare forest pitvipers.
Alongside peasants, palm cutters and guardians of the Potrerillos Reserve, they try to change one deep rooted reflex kill first and ask questions later by capturing, studying and releasing every snake they find. Venom, death and medicine, fear and respect, destruction and protection all collide in a landscape where biodiversity is still largely unknown. After weeks of fatigue, rain and close encounters, their search for the mysterious snake that could be new to science reaches a turning point in the dark, humid nights of the palm forest.
Documentary: The Unknown Snake of Bolivia
Director: Juan Timms
Production: Banakon Productions (2018)
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