REDIFF (Mumbai, India) 24 November 04 Orissa snake charmers issue 'venomous' threat
(PTI) Snake charmers in Orissa, angered by the restrictions imposed on them on catching serpents and displaying them in public, have sounded a venomous threat.
They have threatened to let loose hundreds of snakes in the state capital and, if they have their way, also inside the state assembly, if the 'harassment' does not stop.
"Our livelihood depends on catching snakes and displaying them in public, but if it is stopped, what will we do?" Chittaranjan Das, a snake charmer, asked at a news conference in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.
"If our problems are not addressed we'll have no option but to release hundreds of snakes in the state capital and also inside the state assembly," Das said.
Wildlife personnel and the police have been cracking down on snake charmers in Orissa, confiscating snakes from their possession. "This has made it difficult for us to eke out a living," Das said.
http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/nov/24snake.htm

THE STATESMAN (Kolkata, India) 23 November 04 5,000 snakes in Assembly if...
Bhubaneswar: Around 600 traditional snake-charmer families residing on the outskirts of the capital city are going to lose their livelihood as the forest officials are arresting them for violating the Wildlife Protection Act and releasing captive reptiles in the nearby jungle.
They threatened to release more than 5,000 snakes inside the state Assembly during the ensuing session if alternate arrangements for their livelihood were were made.
“If keeping snakes is a crime then why are no actions taken against the state itself which has kept reptiles in the Nandan Kanan zoo and is earning revenue?” Chitta Ranjan Das, head of Padmakesharpur village, asked.
Numerous professional snake charmers, who gathered here to protest against the government action, clarified that they never destroy wildlife, rather they help in the propagation of reptile population by arranging the mating of snakes during the breeding season. They take appropriate care for the hatching of eggs laid by the snakes and provide necessary treatment to the snakes whenever they fall sick.
“We worship them like our presiding deity and look after them like our children,” Gurudev Das, a professional snake charmer, said. They further clarified that they never catch snakes from reserve forests or wildlife sanctuary. “We catch poisonous snakes which intrude into the households, tend them in our homes and earn our livelihood by performing public shows,” they said.
Sankhachuda Das, a professional snake charmer, said he was picked up by forest staff from near Badambadi bus stand at Cuttack on 8 November. He was detained in the office for the entire day. Later, the officials took his snakes and released them in the forest. They compelled him to give a written undertaking that he would henceforth not keep any snakes.
Gurudev said that he had faced a similar situation a couple of months ago, when he was standing near Gandh Market area, in Bhubaneswar with his baskets of snakes.
Protesting against the recent actions of forest officials, village head Chitta Ranjan said five professional snake charmers had been picked up by the forest staff from Bhubaneswar and Cuttack within a month and their snakes had been released in the Chandka forest.
Not only have these snake charmers lost their livelihood, the others in this profession are also not venturing out for public shows, he said.
“How can we feed ourselves and around 5,000 snakes kept by us,” asked the visibly upset snake charmers stating that more than 5,000 in Padmakesharpur village depend for their livelihood on this hereditary profession.
They said that earlier their women folk used to earn money by tatooing the body of city ladies. But now tatooing has lost its popularity .
Earlier, the community availeed the benefits of the Scheduled Caste. But they have been denied these for the last few year. Mr Mahendra Parida, social worker and convenor of Lok Adhikar Manch, demanded that the traditional snake charmers be allowed to carry on their profession or the government provide them with alternative livelihood.
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=9&theme=&usrsess=1&id=60951