BHUBANESWAR: Increasing cases of snakebites have become a cause of concern in the State. But killing them is not a solution to the problem, believes Biplab Mahapatra.The 36-year-old wildlife conservationist and snake rescuer is undertaking two campaigns - Mission 1,000 Schools and Save Snakes - that would help address the issue to a large extent. Through the campaigns, he is creating awareness among children their parents and people in general about life-saving skills in case of snakebites and protecting the reptiles from conflict with humans.
Founder of Rangers (an organisation that was formerly called People for Animals, Angul), city-based Biplab is collaborating with the Forest and Environment department to make school students understand the importance of snakes, help them distinguish between venomous and non-venomous species and first aid required in case of snake bites. Similarly, his ‘Save Snakes’ campaign is aimed at protecting threatened species and creating a harmonious relationship between humans and the reptiles.
“I started these campaigns after realising that people are dying of snake bites even today due to lack of awareness and also snakes are getting killed everyday when they enter human habitations,” said Biplab, who himself was bit by a snake few years back and underwent treatment.
At the hospital, he found that people bitten by snakes hardly come to hospitals for treatment and instead, turn to traditional healers or quacks for help. This despite the fact that snakebite treatment is available at government hospitals free of cost and supply of anti-venom have been ensured even to the tertiary level. “This is rampant in rural areas where people’s perception of snakes is based mostly on myths and misconception,” said the snake rescuer.
The statistics are a pointer to the problem. In Odisha, snakebite deaths account for nearly 40 per cent of the total disaster deaths. The annual report on natural calamities released by the Special Relief Commissioner’s office reveals that at least 844 persons lost their lives in the state due to snake bite in 2021-22. OSDMA statistics also reveal that more than 5,000 people have died due to snakebite in the state in the last seven years between 2015-16 and 2022-23.
The ‘Mission 1,000 Schools’, which was started in September last year, is an extension of ‘Mission 100 Schools’ that he had launched in 2018 to cover students in 100 schools in 10 districts. Biplab and his team of volunteers conduct awareness camps in schools in rural areas of different districts and also show students video presentations on types of snakes, first aid procedure, among other things. However, they do not do live demonstrations with snakes in schools. He informed that around 40 schools in Angul and Dhenkanal have been covered under the campaigns so far.
Biplab and his team have so far rescued 29,000 animals, mostly snakes. In fact, his People for Animals organisation had even made it to the Limca Book of Records for rescuing 19,500 animals between 2011 and 2018.