NEW KERALA (India) 01 November 10 As a boy he was a 'snake watcher', now Suresh is snake catcherThiruvananthapuram (UNI): He has woken up from his sleep by the constant ringing of his mobile phone at 0500 hrs in the morning and after noting down some details from a panic-stricken caller, starts his two-wheeler and drives away without waiting for a minute, on his mission.
This is the daily routine of Suresh, a popular 'snake catcher' from Sreekariyam, near here. And, more often than not there is no rest for his mobile phone, day or night.
People from far and near seek his help to catch snakes that slither into their house or gardens.
The 38-year-old snake man, affectionately known so in the city and forest department, said he took up this ''dangerous profession'' at the age of 13 as he was very much fascinated with these reptiles.
''I was very interested to watch these repties and the way they move from a very young age. This hobby slowly shaped into a career. I don't have any masters and no one taught me how to handle the creatures. I learned the secret of catching snakes on my own,'' he told UNI.
The realisation that snakes had a divine image and are worshipped in Hindu myth prompted him to save the innocent creatures from being killed by people, he said and added that he used to free even poisonous snakes into deep forests after catching them.
Admitting that catching poisonous snakes was very risky, he said ''I believe in God and the almighty will protect my life. God creates each one with a motive and mine is to catch snakes and save their lives.'' Suresh opined that snakes are emotionless creatures and have ''very poor memory''. If they had emotions and hearing or such other feelings, the creatures would never stray into human habitations and incur the wrath of public.
Stating that he used to receive 10 to 15 calls every day and had een attended to more than 30 calls on a single day, he said the average calls per month range between 350 and 450.
During his 25-year-long career, he had caught more than 12,000 snakes, including eight King Cobras, 5,000 cobras and 1,500 vipers, he said.
After catching, I release the poisonous snakes into forests, and others into places where there is no human habitation,'' Suresh informed.
Whether he had suffered any snakebite, he said he was between death and life on five occasions after being bitten by cobras, while trapping them. He was put on ventilator on four occasions and once admitted in ICU.
Regarding the earnings for his dangerous service, he said ''I don't expect anything from my callers as I consider it as a service directed by God.'' However, he admitted that some people do give him money. But a majority of them don't pay anything, he said.
Asked about the method of catching snakes, he said ''practice makes one perfect. I learnt never to go by the books. I make my own observations about different snakes and go by my own rules.'' ''We cannot prepare or do proper home work before going to catch a snake. It mainly depends on the mood and where the snake is located. We cannot anticipate its behaviour, '' he said.
On September 16, Suresh tamed a king cobra in a tribal settlement following a SOS he received from the Kulathupuzha Forest Range Officer.
After a five-hour-long journey to the colony, he used a ladder to climb up the tree where the snake was 'hiding' in the thick foliage of a tall tree only to watch the king cobra jump on to a rubber tree nearby. It took him over three hours to bring down the 15-foot long snake using a rope noose and later release it into the forest.
Hardly a few months ago, he was battling for life in the ICU of a hospital after being bitten by an 'enraged' cobra.
His hands still bear the mark of several viper bites.
But all that has not diminished Suresh's love for his eery looking friends. Smiling, he opens a jar to take out a couple of them!.
As a boy he was a 'snake watcher', now Suresh is snake catcher