CHENNAI: Snakes are the least gifted creatures that I have come across. Their evolution stopped during the dinosaur era and left them with no limbs and just the neural capacity to perform only few functions for survival,” says Kartick Satyanarayan, CEO and co-founder of Wildlife SOS that is dedicated to conserving wildlife in India. Environmentalists around the world agree that much awareness needs to be created about these species in both rural and urban areas.
To do just that, today, on World Snake Day, Wildlife SOS will be hosting a webinar. “We get close to 25 calls every day to rescue snakes that have entered apartments or human spaces within the city. Most people are unaware of what to do in a situation where the snake has entered the premises. In a few cases they try to dislodge it themselves, which has only led to catastrophic results,” he says. Every year, the organisation holds a workshop to create awareness, and in this pandemic, they hope to reach to a larger audience through online workshops.
At the seminar today, Kartick and Baiju Raj MV, herpetologist and director of conservation projects at Wildlife SOS, will address the stigma and myths that snakes are deadly and dangerous. “We will be talking about urban conflict mitigation with these reptiles and the dos and don’ts if bitten. We also hope to bust a few myths that linger in people’s minds,” says Kartick. One such myth, he hopes to bust, is that snakes seek revenge since they have a longterm memory.
Deaf and partially blind, snakes rely on their basic senses to feed themselves regularly, let alone feeling the stabbing pangs of revenge. “Be it the sewers or underneath a dumpster, snakes always look for the most peaceful spot they can slither into, and not be disturbed by anyone. They prefer to stay out of the way,” shares Kartick, who has spent 30 years spreading awareness about this species. There are 272 species of snakes in the Indian subcontinent.
Of these, only four are venomous — the Russell’s viper, common krait, common cobra and the Saw scaled viper — which can be identified by their broad heads and the arrangement of coloured scales on their back. “Yet most people think that getting bit by a snake leads to instant death. In our sessions, the most common myths about snake bites that we have busted is that one must suck out the blood from the bite. We have explained that is the wrong course of act ion,” he emphasises.
The webinar will be held on Zoom today at 7 pm. One can register at https://zoom.us/ meeting/register/tJ0lfu2tqDss- GdJiYtmijYHzggMiY4YWP2h4 before 6 pm. Registrations are free and one will receive the zoom link on email once registered.