NEW INDIAN EXPRESS (Chennai, India) 12 November 13 Meet Karnataka's woman snake rescuer (Tushar A Majukar)

Belgaum: Nirzara Chitti with a deadly Russell’s Viper which she rescued in Belgaum on Monday. (Express photo) Nirzara Anant Chitti dares where everyone fears. A professional woman snake rescuer, she recently caught her 14th snake in a week, a Russell’s Viper, which is the second most deadliest snake in the world.

Speaking to Express here on Monday, Nirzara said November is the mating season for snakes, when they may accidentally reach concrete ‘jungles’ in search of mates. She said this is the season for people to be cautious, particularly those residing on the outskirts of the city. Snakes may unknowingly enter their houses, creating panic among residents, she said.

Nirzara said she had rescued 14 snakes in the past week, which included Russell’s vipers, a cobra and a rat snake. She said she found a Russell’s viper in a kitchen and in another case she found one in a bed.

Nirzara has been a professional snake rescuer for the past five years. Married since 2007 to Anant Chitti, a noted snake rescuer of Belgaum, she was fascinated by snakes due to his influence. Within a year after her marriage, she too became an expert in handling snakes. Her husband receives several calls from people who spot snakes in their houses or establishments and so she started helping him in rescuing them.

“The common reaction of any person when he or she sees a snake is panic and they try to kill it. Snakes too panic when they see humans and try to protect themselves by biting,” said Nirzara. She said she and her husband make efforts to create awareness about the importance of snakes in society.

The couple have succeeded to some extent as they receive several calls from people who do not want to kill snakes.

Anant Chitti said he rescued 11 snakes on November 6, which was the second highest in a single day in his professional life.
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