CHENNAI: The news about two Irula snake catchers getting Padma Shri caught the nation’s attention on Wednesday and is being celebrated widely, but the social status of these tribesmen and the quality of life of their ilk leave much to be desired.
One of the two awardees, Masi Sadaiyan (45), earns just Rs 2,000 to Rs 4,000 per month for risking his life in catching deadly snakes for venom extraction. He also works as a farmhand and woodcutter in the summer months when snake catching is prohibited.
“Getting Padma Shri is a great recognition for our work but our standard of life is nothing to be happy about. My three children could not get an education because of my poor income. They are working as daily-wage labourers. We need some guaranteed monthly income for our high-risk work. We were bitten by snakes and endured life-threatening situations several times over the years,” Masi Sadaiyan said.
Saviours of thousands lead a life of neglect
The Irula Snake Catchers’ Industrial Co-operative Society Limited, a 45-year-old institution which is India’s largest producer of snake venom where Sadaiyan and another Padma Shree awardee Vadivel Gopal work, has 348 other members who have similar tales to share. The anti-venom produced using the venom extracted by them saves thousands of lives every year, but these Irulas continue to languish in a state of neglect and poverty.
Every year, the delay by the state forest department in giving permission to catch the annual quota of snakes for venom extraction denies Iruals a regular monthly income. On average, the forest department allows the society to capture 5,000 snakes of four species annually.
This year, for instance, temporary permission was given to catch 2,500 snakes and an order to capture the remaining snakes is yet to be issued. The quota ends on March 31. “We have only two months to catch the remaining 2,500 snakes. During winter, snakes will be healthier and venom yield will be good. Over the last two years, permission was given only in the last week of March and we really struggled.
As of date, we have only 43 snakes in our pots and these are the last batch of snakes that we were permitted to catch under a temporary licence,” an official from the Irula society told TNIE. Unless permission is given, society cannot give work to its members.
While each spectacled cobra and Russell’s viper gets them Rs 2,300, members get Rs 850 for catching common krait and Rs 300 for saw-scaled viper. In November 1994, after taking into account the ecology, species conservation, and livelihood concerns of Irulas, the Madras High Court allowed the community to capture and extract venom from 3,000 spectacled cobras, 1,500 common kraits, 1,500 Russell’s vipers and 7,000 saw-scaled vipers every year (13,000 in total).
However, over the years, the forest department reduced this number. In 2018-19, the society was allowed to catch 8,300 snakes and in subsequent years the number fell to as low as 4,800. In 2020-21, the society wasn’t able to catch even 3,000 snakes as the order was issued as late as March 29. Chief Wildlife Warden Srinivas R Reddy said the issue of how many snakes should be caught comes up every year. There is an industries department, which fixes the cost of venom and regulates its trade, and the forest department issues permission to catch snakes.
The cooperative society has a monopoly, particularly with respect to the venom of the common krait and saw-scaled viper. “Why not explore the full market potential of venom to increase the revenue by e-auctioning? On what basis the price is fixed? Increasing the number of snakes captured should not be the only way to enhance the revenue,” Reddy said and added that there is no scientific data available on snake population in the wild.
Sources also said the revenue being generated by the Irulas society was not being ‘fairly’ shared with its members. “As of date, over Rs 3 crore is lying in bank fixed deposits but the snake catchers are struggling to lead a decent life.”