53 snakes seized in Agra as Shravan month ends

Agra: Over 50

snakes

were

seized

from the illegal custody of snake charmers outside temples across Agra in a day- long anti-poaching raid carried out by the forest department in association with an NGO, Wildlife SOS.

A four-member team from Wildlife SOS and two forest officers conducted a series of raids in the city on Monday, during which they seized 53 snakes from the premises of Prithvinath temple, Rawli temple, Rajeshwari temple, Mankameshwar temple and Kailash temple.

A total of 43 cobras, five common sand boas, three red sand boas and two rat snakes have been rescued and transferred to the Wildlife SOS rescue facility. The snakes are currently under the care and treatment of Wildlife SOS.

According to forest officials, Monday marked the last day of “Shravan somvar” and as devotees across Agra city flocked the temples to pay homage to Lord Shiva, “saperas” (snake charmers) took to the streets with their “been” (a type of flute) and baskets full of snakes to take advantage of the devotees’ beliefs and extract money from them.

This has turned into a lucrative business, wherein every year, thousands of snakes are poached, defanged brutally and then kept hungry for months before the festival.

“Using snakes for public demonstration is a punishable offence and is banned under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and the Government of India’s notification in 2014,” said Mukesh Kumar Sharma, divisional forest officer, Agra.

Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder CEO of Wildlife SOS, said “Snake charming is not enchanting or brave and there are no skills involved in this practice. This is extremely crude and painful for the snake as its venom glands and fangs are pulled out. Since the venom is actually a snake’s digestive juice, the snake suffers a terrible plight and eventually dies to death due to indigestion. Non-venomous snakes like the sand boas and rat snakes are not spared either. Their mouths are stitched shut, making it impossible for them to eat.”

Earlier this month, 21 snakes were rescued from a temple premises in Mathura. The act of charming a snake with a flute or pungi is based on incorrect facts. Snakes are able to sense vibration but they don’t have an outer ear to hear music.

Wildlife SOS officials urge tourists and locals alike to never encourage the use of any animal for entertainment, display and performance for money. Giving alms to snake charmers or paying to watch an animal perform only encourages the brutal treatment of the animal and promotes illegal possession of wildlife and the continuity of cruelty towards them.