Awareness drive to curb exploitation of snakes

The Friends of Snakes Society, along with Telangana Forest Department, sensitised the public at Ibrahimpatnam on the inhumane practices employed by snake charmers ahead of Naga Panchami. The festival of snakes will be observed on August 19. “Snakes charmers who visit our city are usually individuals involved in farming or are beggars who rent snakes from local snake catchers, to make quick money. For personal safety, these snake charmers break the fangs or stitch the mouth of these snakes.

Further, these mutilated snakes are often restricted to small boxes made of woven bamboo. On Naga Panchami, the snake charmers carry their snakes to various households to earn money by giving devotees a glimpse of the snake. The devotees often worship these snakes by sprinkling kumkum and haldi too.

Least they know that haldi or kumkum causes immense irritation to the snake. To make the matters worse, snakes are not offered food or water for several weeks at a stretch and hence when milk is offered on Naga Panchami, these dehydrated snakes readily drink it. In reality, milk cannot be digested by snakes and usually are regurgitated by them after sometime. Certain snakes that are too weak to regurgitate the ingested milk die due to dysentery,” said one of the volunteers of the society.

Spectacled Cobras are protected under Schedule II of Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. Unauthorised possession of these snakes is a non-compoundable offence that shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than three years but may extend up to seven years and also with a fine which shall not be less than ten thousand rupees.

Any information about snake charmers could be reported to the nearest police station, or to the forest department by calling their toll-free number 18004255364 or to Friends of Snakes Society at 8374233366.