Organised sand boa trading rampant across state
BENGALURU: Despite a ban on trading in exotic animal skins in India, the practice still continues illegally and trading in sand boa species of snakes is rampant across the state.
There is a huge demand for sand boas in the international market, especially China and countries in south east Asia and even in Western countries where they are used in cancer research.
Further, this species is used for making medicines, aphrodisiacs, cosmetics and used in black magic rituals. Its skin is used in the leather industry for making purses, handbags and jackets.
Forest and police officials say that smuggling of sand boa has turned rampant across the southern states. Two to three incidents every month are reported wherein people have been caught selling it across the border or on the fringes of forests. Recently, on Sathyamangala-Mysuru National Highway at Asanur, three people were held for smuggling sand boas from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu.
In September last, a rare red sand boa was rescued from smugglers at Chikkajala. This particular variety of sand boa is worth `1 crore in the international market. Smugglers had purchased it from snake catchers as it fetches a huge price.
In June 2015, a gang of seven poachers were held in Thanisandra for attempting to trade in two red sand boas in Bengaluru. They had purchased the reptiles from a snake charmer in Gauribidnaur.
The sand boa species, now on the endangered list, is the most traded reptile in India which includes the common Indian sand boa, red sand boa and brown sand boa.
Wildlife activist G Veeresh said, “Since it is harmless and easy to catch, they are easily poached. In Karnataka, there are organised groups involved in snake smuggling. They network with other people, encourage villagers, farmers and tribals to catch these harmless snakes. In fact, local people are paid handsome amounts to hunt for snakes in agricultural fields and forest areas.”
With a huge demand for its skin, each snake is traded for `2-5 lakh. A few years back, the Chikkamagaluru territorial range staff had caught snake smugglers - a couple from a tribal community involved in smuggling and transporting snakes from Chikkamagaluru to Shivamogga. To the authority’s surprise, they found international credit and debit cards with the couple. Despite being dressed as poor villagers, they had visited Malaysia, Thailand, Bangkok and Singapore.
According to officials of traffic.org, a wildlife trade monitoring network, trading in sand boas has gone online. Earlier, trading of this lesser-known species was not well known as the focus was on bigger species. But with trading becoming rampant, it was necessary for authorities to take strict enforcement and conservation action. As per Humane Society International, the price of sand boas depends on their weight (3.5-4 kg). Poachers often feed the reptiles steel ball bearings or liquid mercury just before