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With floods increasing snake encounters and snakebites, it is important to understand snakes, recognize them, and know how to deal with them safely.
My first real exposure to the slippery tangle of snakes came during my MSc, when one morning I found the laboratory sinks overflowing with preserved specimens. They were worm like, twig like, checkered, blunt tail with trinkets on scales or blotchy bands, green, yellow, brown, black, reddish or bluish in colors —all non-poisonous but not one student went near them, let alone dissect them though there wasn’t a cobra with a distinct spectacle on hood, krait- with blackish shiny color and rectangular upprer scales, or viper- rough, stocky with kneeled scales and a loud hiss among them. (Poisonous snakes are only 15% of the 4,000 recognized species.)
The fear of snakes stayed with me for years, until much later, when I began working with the colorful, warm-hearted snake charmers who lived in a colony on the edge of the city. Each family had a modest hut, and in every hut there was always a basket — with their snake or snakes resting inside.
One day a snake charmer draped a large snake around my neck. The subtle vibrations of its body against my skin was calming. It was librosis—a sudden sense of release, total freedom from the fear that still was in me.
Soon I realised that Snakes are amazing. They are cold-blooded, which means their bodies change temperature with the sun and shade. They smell their food by flicking out their forked tongues,
Most of the time, snakes love to rest under or on the side of fallen logs, rocks or debris. They can sleep for 16 to 22 hours a day! They drink water only once in a while, maybe once a week, and unlike the old village stories, snakes never drink milk.
When they are young, snakes eat more often, about once a week. As they grow older, they may eat only once a month—or even less. But when they do eat, it is quite a sight! Their jaws can stretch wide apart, so wide that they can swallow animals three times bigger than the width of their head.
And every few weeks, a snake slips out of its old skin, leaving it behind like a crumpled shirt, and shines with a brand-new one.
Snake Doctor
I met the oldest man in the colony, the snake doctor. He picked up a poisonous snake, pressed its jaws, and they opened. He pointed to a pin-sized opening in the upper jaw where the fang had been extracted, but the poison sac was still intact. By pressing the snake’s body at different places, he could make a drop of venom exude from the tiny opening of the sac. This process was called the milking of the snake.
We spoke of Kalia and Krishna’s dance on it and ultimate defeat of the serpent. A powerful narrative of good triumphing over evil, a reminder of divine strength that conquers even the most deadly threats. Like all great myths, it works on two levels: a captivating “surface story” and a deeper allegory carrying hidden, symbolic meaning.
Prevent snake bites
- Remove hiding spots like wood piles, cardboard, rock piles, and thick or weedy vegetation around your house.
- Seal entry points like cracks and holes in walkways, foundations, walls, and storage sheds.
- Install a snake-proof fence of heavy galvanized hardware cloth with a ¼-inch mesh, 36 inches wide, and long enough to cover the building’s perimeter. Bury one edge into the ground at the base of the building, and slant the fence outward at a 30° angle.
- Walk vigilantly- be wary of snakes. While crossing obstacles step on them rather than over giving a chance to snake lying under or near by to escape.
If bitten do the following
Do not panic. Try identifying the snake. Was the head broad, flattened, and distinct from the neck? Were the pupils slit-like and elliptical? Look at the bite- does it have one or two deep fang punctures? If yes then it was venomous.
Act quickly and calmly. Call 108 for an ambulance, remove any jewelry, watches, or tight clothing, gently wash the bite with soap and water, cover it loosely with a clean, dry bandage and ensure that the victim receives an antivenom injection in the ambulance or at a hospital — ideally within the first hour.
Last Words
Never kill any snake. Prevent their entry in your house. Let them be in the wilderness. They are farmers friends. They control pests. They do not harm us. They are our friends.
Snakes must not be killed as they are actually our friends. They are an important part of the ecosystem, controlling pest populations without being a threat to humans.
These pieces are being published as they have been received – they have not been edited/fact-checked by ThePrint.