WEB123INDIA (Cochin, India) 17 August 05 Now a helpline for snakes!
Bhubaneswar (IANS): Four men here have formed a group to catch snakes that slither into people's homes and to release them in the forests.
A helpline they set up in 2004 gets numerous frantic calls from people. The four end up catching more than 200 snakes every month.
Pratyush Mahapatra, a zoologist pursuing a PhD at North Orissa University, heads the group. The four men, aged between 28 and 35, formed the outfit when they were students of Utkal University.
The other three - Subhendu Mallik, who has done his post graduation in agricultural engineering; Siba Prasad Parida, an M Phil in zoology; and Ashok Mallik, a PhD student - are motivated by a desire to help the reptiles.
"Anybody facing a snake problem can call us and we will help," said Mahapatra.
The four usually pay for their own transport when they are summoned but they do not mind. "We never bother as we are working for a great cause," said one.
Orissa is home to many poisonous snakes like cobras and vipers.
"While human encounters with the snakes can prove fatal, more often than not it is the snakes that get killed," said a member.
The snakes are also in danger from the around 18,000 snake charmers in the state who catch the reptiles for a living. They de-fang them and display them.
Some snake charmers apparently have begun supplying the reptiles to smugglers, who sell the snakes abroad to people looking for exotic pets or to those who want the venom.
"We tell people that snakes need to be protected. We catch the snakes and release them in their natural habitat, mostly in forests," said Mahapatra. "We learnt to catch snakes in our childhood."
Apart from Bhubaneswar, the group is also sought by people in neighbouring towns including Cuttack and Puri.
The group also advises people not to seek the help of witch doctors in case of snake bites but to consult a medical doctor instead.
Now a helpline for snakes!