It’s an irony that in a nation where cobras are worshipped as God, the very sight of a snake repels people, and they do not hesitate to kill them. There were quite a few instances of cobras being killed on ‘Nagula Chavithi’ day in the past.
World Snake Day is observed on July 16 every year to create awareness among the public about the importance of snakes in the ecosystem. Snakes can be broadly classified into ‘poisonous’ and ‘non-poisonous’. Though nearly 3,500 species of snakes are said to be found around the world, barely about 25% of them are poisonous.
‘King Cobra is the deadliest’
“Among the venomous snakes, the King Cobra (Ophiophagus Hannah) is the most deadliest. It is mostly confined to the hilly areas. It can jump from tree to tree and can eject its venom into the air. A person can go blind if the venom falls into his/her eyes,” says D.E. Babu, who has retired as Principal of Andhra University College of Science and Technology.
“They are found in the forests of Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam and Maredumilli in Alluri Sitarama Raju districts. They generally avoid human habitation. It’s only humans, who invade their habitations as cities and towns expand, and blame the poor reptiles,” he says.
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“Cobra (Naja Naja) lives alongside human habitations. They feed on rats in the paddy fields of farmers and save their crops. The other poisonous snakes include the Viper, which has oval or diamond-shaped patches on its body. Its venom can cause blood clots and muscle decay. Krait is another poisonous snake with a horizontal white or yellow stripe. Kraits eat insects and control pests,” Professor Babu says
“Sea snakes like Hydrophis and Enhydrina are very poisonous. They mostly live in the deep waters but sometimes swim in the shallow water and accidentally get caught in the nets of fishermen. The largest non-poisonous snakes are the pythons, which swallow their prey and coil around trees to crush their prey to death,” says Prof. Babu.
Snake catcher Rokkam Kiran Kumar of Snake Saver’s Society caught a mother cobra and her 19 hatchlings in the Town Administration Building of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) recently.
“In the past, people used to kill them fearing that they would bite them. Due to growing awareness, people are calling snake catchers and asking us to hand over the reptiles to the zoo or release them in the jungles,” he says.
Mr. Kiran can be reached on his mobile no. 8866368899 for professional help.
