Woodstock man returns from snake research trip in Singapore

WOODSTOCK – Growing up in Woodstock, Phil Vogrinc would try to catch snakes when he played around his house.

This summer, the 27-year-old Woodstock High School and McHenry County College graduate searched for snakes in Singapore.

Vogrinc, who is pursing a Master of Science with a focus on ecology at the University of Arkansas, spent about three months researching snakes with the National University of Singapore on a $10,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

Vogrinc identified about 20 species from the time he left for Singapore in June and came back to the U.S. on Monday.

Snakes are something Vogrinc always has been interested in, and he said it’s important for other people to care about them, too.

“Snakes fit into this ecosystem that all works together, and that ecosystem provides a service to us,” Vogrinc said, adding if snakes were removed from their habitat in Singapore, other populations like fish, crabs and other crustaceans could be affected.

The focus of his research was to see how the sea level’s rise in the future could influence snakes, he said. In the end, Vogrinc said he accomplished a general assessment of what snakes are found in particular habitats in Singapore, and why they live in those habitats.

Vogrinc said he spent about five days a week looking for water snakes, and because they are nocturnal animals, he typically did his research between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

He would go to different habitats, including mangroves, canals and beaches, always bringing plenty of batteries, flashlights and water, he said.

“All the snakes that I was working with were venomous to a certain extent,” Vogrinc said.

If the snakes bit him, it could have resulted in anything from a numb hand to a trip to the hospital and amputation, Vogrinc said, although he never got bit.

Back in the U.S., Vogrinc said he’s contemplated pursuing further education and traveling back to Asia to do more research someday and to help conserve habitats.

He said seeing the places where he used to search for snakes in McHenry County turn into housing developments is part of what inspired him to want to conserve habitats.

Vogrinc has three pet snakes, and although the animals might bother some people, he said they play a key part in the ecosystem.

“A well-functioning ecosystem does thing like filter our water, does things like purify our air, keep our soil intact so we can grow crops,” Vogrinc said. “... Even something like a snake, that might seem insignificant or even bothersome to some people, is a piece of the puzzle that fits into this function that helps us.”