THE TELEGRAPH (Calcutta, India) 30 India 05 Reptiles And Killjoys (Khushwant Singh)
Never, ever kill a snake; not even if it is venomous. Snakes never attack humans; they bite only when they feel threatened or when trodden on by mistake in the dark. Around 10,000 people die of snakebite every year. More die in road accidents and bitten by mad dogs. Nevertheless, snakes are the most feared and loathed of creatures. We should bear in mind that if we killed all snakes, we would be over-run by rats, which not only ear our crops but also cause plague. Snakes keep the rat population in control. In any case, of the 270 species of Indian snakes only four are poisonous; cobras, vipers, adders and kraits. There is no need to panic when you seen a snake and go for it with sticks and stones; check yourself from this stupid knee-jerk reaction. Killing a snake is like killing any other of god’s creatures.
There are many myths about snakes. One is that they drink milk. Every Nag Panchami, thousands of gallons of milk are given to snake-charmers who go begging for it in bazaars. They drink the milk themselves. Snakes only eat mice, frogs, lizards and small birds. Another equally prevalent myth is that cobras sway their heads to the notes of the been. As a matter of fact snakes are stone-deaf. Cobras sway their heads to the movement of the been because they fear it will attack them; they often hiss and go for the been. More serious of the myths about curing snakebite is by use of snake-stones which are said to suck up poison. Most snake charmers display these. As a matter of fact, snake charmers defang cobras before they take them round for display. As a result, these poor toothless cobras can eat nothing and soon starve to death. How cruel can we be?
What is true about snakes is equally true of other members of the reptile family like crocodiles (including alligators and gharials), lizards, turtles, and tortoises. Left to themselves, they preserve the delicate balance of nature. Their worst enemy is man. We have encroached on their domains, depleted their numbers to near extinction. However, there are a few people desperately trying to restore the balance by breeding threatened species in captivity and returning them to their habitats. The best known among them was the bird-man Salim Ali, his nephew Zafar Futehally, his wife Laeeq and their daughter Zai Whitaker. It is best to start with knowing something about reptilians. As an appetiser, I can recommend Zai Whitaker’s Cobra in My Kitchen. It is lucidly written, full of real-life experiences, with a touch of humour, lots of delectable verse and illustrations by Suddhasattva Basu. It is meant both for children and for grown-ups. An ideal birthday, Eid, Diwali or Christmas present. Take it from me, there is nothing better on the subject for the sheer joy of reading and information.
Zai inherited her passion for nature from her parents, Zafar and Laeeq Futehally, and grand uncle Salim Ali. It brought her into contact with Rom Whitaker, an India born Australian. They got married and have two sons. They set up a snake farm in the Madras Zoo and supplied anti-snakebite serum to hospitals. For many years, they lived among Irula tribes, famous for their skills as snake-catchers. Irulas’ diet includes rats (also relished by Moosars of Bihar) and roasted termites. Snake meat is regarded as delicacy by them as it is in China. I tasted it once in a Hong Kong restaurant. It was as delicate as the delectable trout.
The Whitakers later set up a crocodile farm about 70 miles south of Chennai. They bred different species of crocodiles, alligators and gharials, protected against predators. The crocodile farm was soon full to overflowing. The surplus was sold to countries whose stocks had fallen to dangerous levels. The Whitakers were invited by foreign countries to advise them about preserving their reptiles. They spent a couple of years in Papua New Guinea. They attended world conferences on the preservation of wildlife. Back home they organized parties of volunteers to prevent poachers from stealing turtle-eggs laid in sand beaches of the Bay of Bengal and rousing people’s conscience against slaughtering turtles for food. We have much to be grateful for to Zai Whitaker and her family.
Reptiles And Killjoys