(IN) Snakes

[Guest guest]

Saving the ?˜naag??from cruelty

 

Staff Reporter

 

Animal rights activists come together for snake raids

 

Rehabilitation plan devised for the reptiles

 

?˜Snake mafias in action before the festival

 

? " Photo: Mohd. Yousuf

 

IN SAFE HANDS: An animal welfare activist carrying baskets containing

snakes that were rescued from charmers on Saturday.

 

HYDERABAD: Raids in the city and surrounding areas from Thursday to

Saturday on the occasion of Nagapanchami led to seizure of 83 snakes

under captivity, informed the Special Police Officer under Prevention

of Cruelty to Animals Act, Ridesh Jagirdar.

 

Of them, about 70 were seized on Saturday, he said.

 

Esamia Bazar, Chikkadpally, Shivam Road, Mangalhat and Kandikal Gate

were the main centres where maximum snakes were seized.

Nine teams

 

Assisting the police were about 65 animal rights enthusiasts

comprising nine teams. Blue Cross, Bharatiya Prani Mitra Sangh, Prani

Mitra Ramesh Jagirdar Foundation, Sahyog, Friends of Snakes and Animal

Rescue and Rehabilitation Society were some of the organisations involved.

Support from residents

 

?œThe results were not encouraging till four years ago when we operated

individually. Through collective action, we have been able to curtail

considerably the practice of catching snakes for worship,??said Mahesh

Agarwal from Bharatiya Prani Mitra Sangh.

 

He acknowledged the support from the residents of various localities

who called to inform about captured snakes.

 

Mahesh said that ?˜snake mafias??operated on a large scale in Mumbai

and Hyderabad from a month-and-a-half before the festival.

Defanged

 

The snakes would be defanged after venom extraction and kept captive

till they were rented out on festival. Apartment dwellers, due to lack

of snake burrows in the cities, turned to these ?˜rented gods??brought

to their doorstep by beggars and urchins.

Mouths sewn

 

?œThe snakes would be starved for over a month. We even found snakes

with their mouths sewn. Some of them would stink due to undigested

milk,??Mahesh said while listing the abuses heaped on the reptiles.

The gruesome of all would come after the festivities were over.

 

The snake would be skinned alive and left to die a nightmarish death.

Rendered immobile, it would be unable to even squirm away the ants

collecting on its body.

 

From this year on, a rehabilitation plan has been devised for the

reptiles.

To be set free

 

?œThe uninjured will be set free straightaway. Minor injuries will be

treated by Forest officials while the ones injured badly will be sent

to the Snake Park in Chennai for treatment,??says Mahesh.

Rehab package

 

As for those urchins dispossessed of their business, a rehabilitation

package is available at Sahyog Women?™s Training Centre in

Santoshnagar, where they can acquire various skills and guaranteed

livelihood, he said. The snake raids will continue on Sunday too.