INDIAN EXPRESS (New Delhi) 27 October 13 Thou shall not vilify snakes (Meera Bhardwaj)
If we don’t take some drastic action soon, the only wild animals left to see would exist in photographs in the days to come and Bangalore will turn into a concrete jungle,” predicts Dr Rahmath Ataz. “Excessive urbanisation has destroyed the city’s fauna,” says the passionate wildlife researcher. Offering a remedy, Ataz advocates involvement of youngsters in the protection of the city’s rich biodiversity and says the sensitisation should start from school itself.
Lately rapid urbanisation and construction activities around the verdant outskirts of Bangalore has forced these reptiles into the city for shelter. Snakes are frequently killed by panicky residents, when spotted in the vicinity of houses, who are unaware of the detrimental effect this mindless killing would have on the food chain.
Speaking on the subject of catching snakes in Bangalore, Ataz, who is the Head of the Department of Zoology at Al Ameen College here, says, “Fifty per cent of the snakes caught here are rat snakes and are non-poisonous while 30 per cent are cobras and rest are vipers, sand boas, etc. Apart from this, 50-60 per cent of snake bites are dry bites where there is no need to take anti-venom injections,” he explains.
A researcher and wildlife conservationist, Ataz has rescued thousands of snakes and rehabilitated countless wild and pet animals. At present, campaigns to protect wildlife are quite weak and ineffectual, he says. Even the teaching methods are restricted to laboratories with no excursions or visitations to carry out field studies. So, obviously people can’t tell the difference between poisonous snakes and harmless snakes and end up killing both in fear, he points out.
It was his father, Dr R A Sattar, a Homeopathic physician, who imbibed a deep love for animals in him. “My father used to treat abandoned and injured dogs, eagles and other birds. With great love and care, he bathed the injured, diseased animals and fed the malnourished,” he reminiscences.
It was then but natural that Ataz took up zoological studies at the Al Ameen College, where he has been teaching for nearly two decades now. In 1979, Ataz joined a voluntary effort to take care of animals at the Mysore Zoological Gardens. “I still remember taking care of a chimpanzee called Kapil and bottle feeding him. We also took care of tiger cubs,” he recollects.
However, it was only in 1980s that his fascination with wildlife crystallised into a passionate resolve and he avowed to save animals that had been caught in the vicious vortex of urbanisation and perennial decimation. “Every year, seasonal rains used to flood our colony bringing hundreds of snakes in its wake. We had to pull out these slithery creatures from underneath our beds and from our bathrooms,” he says. “Even today, it is a pathetic situation as awareness levels are pretty low and many people, scared out of their wits, end up killing these homeless reptiles,” he adds.
Taking his efforts forward, he set up the Society for Wildlife Education, Adventure and Rehabilitation (SWEAR) in 2000 for rescuing, treating, nurturing animals and spreading awareness in society about wildlife conservation. To date, he and his team of 15 volunteers have rescued 3,500 snakes, rehabilitated animals like slender loris, varanus, mouse deer, rabbits, tarantulas, horned and barn owls, peacocks and falcons. Their organisation rescues animals for free and he teaches selected students how to catch snakes. He has even designed an instrument for catching poisonous snakes.
“Once, I was bitten by a Russell’s Viper while catching it at Shampur and I had to administer first aid myself what with my hand swollen ten times its size,” he say in a matter-of-fact tone. “With great difficulty, I made an incision to lessen the toxic effect and managed to reach the hospital in time. But it was only after giving a test dosage, they administered the anti-venom injection. Now, how many people know that most snake bites are dry because the snake themselves are under nourished and their venom does not enter our blood stream during cold conditions. One should take an anti-venom serum only if it is a poisonous bite,” he advices.
Snakes are misunderstood creatures, says Ataz. “A snake never ventures to an area unless it is disturbed, in fact, even a slight sound drives it away and it largely ignores man. Despite this, incidents of people slaughtering these innocent reptiles have been on the rise. Once my volunteers brought in this profusely bleeding pregnant rat snake who had been thrashed with a stick. Luckily, after 10 days of treatment and administering powerful antibiotics, she survived,” he says.
Ataz is full of exciting rescue stories that would send shivers down your spine. Like the time he had 20 baby water snakes let loose in his house, which created a very tricky situation but his patient wife has learnt to live with his idiosyncrasies.
Supported by his alma mater, the Al Ameen College, and his colleagues, Ataz is on a mission to spread awareness on snake conservation not only in Bangalore but other cities across the country through workshops, paper presentations, lectures and conferences.
“There has been an excellent response to our conservation campaigns and girls are far more interested than boys in learning about snakes,” he points out brightly.
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