KUENSEL (Buhutan) 10 July 06 Snake bites common in Trongsa (Nima Wangdi)
“I was returning home from night duty when I slipped and fell,” said Bokhu, 42. “My leg got in the drain nearby when I felt something pierce me just above the gumboot.”
Sure that he had got bitten by a snake Bokhu rushed home and called his friend to try and suck the poison out before it spread to other parts of the body. It was around 9:30 pm.
“I had become unconscious and when I awoke I was in hospital,” Bokhu said.
He was taken to hospital at around 10:15 pm by his friends and wife.
The district medical officer of the hospital, Dr. Chandaralal Mongar, told Kuensel that Bokhu had been brought to the hospital just in time.
“Snake bite cases are dangerous,” a hospital official said. “It leads to clotting and bleeding disorder, it damages the brain and the nerves leading towards paralysis depending on where the bite has occurred and the amount of poison injected.”
Dr. Chandaralal said the seriousness of the snake bite depends upon the type of the snake. “In June we also treated a woman who was bitten on the leg,” he said. “I think we will have to treat many more cases before the end of November.”
A resident of the Trongsa said that from April to November the roads and footpaths are coiled with different species.
The people of Trongsa say that there are around seven different species of snakes found in Trongsa including the cobra. The species with a greenish colour and the ability to meander fast was the most common.
Gyelmo, 35, from Yuesar under Drakten gewog told Kuensel that sometimes the snakes can be found inside the ground floor of houses. “In our village we spray changi baam in and around our houses as the smell of liquor keeps away the snakes,” she said.
Thubten, 61, from Yuesar said that traditionally snake bites were treated in different ways. One way was to tie the area of the bite with a rope and manually suck out the poison. This was done by an experienced person.
He said that the victim was given honey and some of it was applied to the wound. “If you can kill the snake which bites you the head of the snake should be broken and the brain of the snake should be extracted and applied to the bite,” Thubten added.
In drakten gewog, three types of snakes are found which are locally known as Lendha Bue, Jagpa Bue and Kasha Bue.
An elderly resident of Trongsa said that the population of snakes had gone down drastically over the years with increasing development activities.
Snake bites common in Trongsa