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Snakes are much misunderstood creatures, says Thakur Paramjit
DURING the monsoon season, snakes venture out of their water-filled burrows in search of food. However, no sooner do people see a snake crawling than they press the panic button. Snakes are among the most misunderstood creatures. Their usefulness has taken a backseat due to the lack of knowledge about them. Contrary to the common belief, a snake neither attacks nor chases a person in normal circumstances. Hindi films and TV programmes have been promoting superstitions that snakes take revenge and King cobra has diamond in its hood. Snake Cell, an endeavour of Capt Suresh Sharma and his wife Rajbir Kaur, has been rendering voluntary service by spreading the knowledge about snakes and snakebite in the region for the past eight years. They also provide free service to catch a snake in case it sneaks into a house in and around Chandigarh. (One can give them a ring at 2556013 or to police control room at 100). "We organise projects like nature-oriented tours, first-aid workshops and street shows. We will soon publish educational literature on snakes", says Capt Suresh Sharma. Descendants of lizards, snakes do not have limbs or eyelids. They locate their prey with their eyes in addition to applying chemical cues collected by their bifid tongues. Pit viper is capable of spotting its prey in complete darkness by using pits located near its nostrils. The lifespan of a snake depends on various factors, including the time spent in hibernation. While their life span in the wild is not known, in captivity, king snakes and rat snakes usually live from 12 to 15 years. The age of sexual maturity (usually two to four years) depends on the food available. All snakes can swim and majority of them can climb rough surfaces. The venom of a snake is deadly and can cause death when mixed with blood of man or other prey. The spitting cobras (not found in India) can spit their venom up to six feet. But the poison is effective only in case it falls into one’s eyes or on a wound and goes into blood stream. A snake has no hearing power. They can feel vibrations through their belly scales. A snake-charmer’s bin cannot intoxicate a cobra. The spreading of its hood and hissing is aimed at giving a warning to stay away and not to disturb it. Out of 255 species of snakes found in our country, around 55 are poisonous. However, only four of them — Spectacled Cobra, Common Krait, Russell’s Viper and Saw-Scaled Viper — pose a threat to human life. These are found in agricultural fields and village houses since rats form their staple diet. Only three species of poisonous snakes are found near Chandigarh — Russell’s Viper, Cobra, and Common Krait. "Just as every mosquito bite does not cause malaria, similarly every venomous snakebite does not cause death. Do not panic or waste time to kill the snake. If you know about snake bite first aid, give it to the victim. Then take him to the nearest hospital, where anti-venom serum can be injected, if need be," says Sharma. "If all the snakes disappear from the earth tomorrow, we would be overrun by rats and mice. Our crops would be devastated and massive food shortages would follow. The safest way to avoid snakebite is to remain at a respectable distance and not provoke the snake", says Suresh Sharma. For information on snakes, one can log on to www.snakecell.org. |
