Who's afraid? Women take to rescuing snakes in spare time

HYDERABAD: Videos of women catching deadly snakes with bare hands usually go viral. But here in our city are 17 woman snake catchers who handle venomous snakes like cobra, krait and Russell's viper on a daily basis in relative obscurity.
These snake-rescuers include doctors, techies, students and homemakers, who are all part of the Friends of Snake Society of Hyderabad.Their main aim is to rescue snakes and thus help in maintaining ecological balance and keeping the rodent population in the city and its suburbs under control.
Take for instance Aparna Ravi Kumar, a 40-year-old homemaker and resident of Tattiannaram in Nagole, who has rescued at least 300 snakes.“People think that all snakes are poisonous. It's a myth.Whenever I go to rescue, people always express apprehension whether I can handle them being a woman. After I rescue the snake without hurting it and getting bitten, the crowd cheers,“ Aparna told TOI. The B.Com graduate who has been training since 2015 adds wittily , “Snake doesn't recognise whether you are a man or a woman.“
For Jyothi Sankhla of Esamia Bazar in Koti, the inspiration came from Discovery and National Geographic channels. “My inspirations are Australian conservationist Steve Irwin and Hyderabad ophiologist and founder of Friends of Snakes Society , K Raj Kumar. Raj Kumar escaped death from cobra bites 29 times, but later died of cerebral malaria,“ she says.
“I started rescuing lizards being teased by youth. My first rescue was at City College. Initially, due to the comments by the crowd, I couldn't handle the snake and other experts had to come in. But since then, there has been no looking back,“ Jyothi, a B.Sc graduate, told TOI.
K Dhruthi Reddy , an MBBS student, chose this work as she wanted to be a veterinarian. “I got training for six months.Initially, I was taught how to handle non-venomous snakes and then poisonous snakes,“ she said.
Other snake rescuers include Ashwini Naidu, a tea cher, S Chaitanya, a BSC Life sciences student, D Darshini, an HR professional, Kasarla Lahari, a BA Psychology student, Aparna Menon, a freelance journalist, K Aakankshan, a BCom student, Gayathri Krishnaveni, an HR professional, P Shanti who works for a corporate company , BSc horticulture student Nikhila Anumula and Harsha Kumari. Apart from attending rescue operations during the recent Wildlife Week (that concluded on Oct 8), these women went around colonies and schools urging people not to kill snakes but rescue them.