|
|
India Snake Hunters Find Antidote to Joblessness |
|
Pallava Bagla in New Delhi for National Geographic News |
| February 25, 2003 |
|
Catching poisonous snakes is second nature to the Irula tribal community in south India. For generations these hardy folk have earned a living by rustling serpents—until a stiffening of India's laws to protect wildlife made it illegal. Most Irulas have been forced to abandon their traditional livelihood hunting snakes for skins and other parts. But a small group has formed the Irula Snake Catchers' Industrial Cooperative Society. The group catches snakes purely to milk them for their venom, which is sold to laboratories for the production of antivenin used to counter the effects of snakebites in humans. Irulas are a small group of indigenous forest-dwelling people who have made a living for generations by catching and skinning snakes. Skilled at their art, Irulas can track a snake by following telltale signs on the ground, following tracks to burrows where the snakes may be hiding. Using nothing more than a crowbar to dig the soil and bare hands, these illiterate villagers easily catch highly poisonous snakes like cobras, vipers and kraits. But whereas in the past the snakes' skins were sold to foreign buyers for fashion accessories, today each snake is trapped alive and carefully carried back to the cooperative where it is milked for its venom. Until the Indian government changed its wildlife laws, Irulas made a living by catching the deadly cobra and Russell's vipers in their thousands. The snake skins ended up as fancy purses and shoes. When the Indian Parliament adopted the Wildlife Protection Act in 1972, the economic basis of the Irulas was suddenly made illegal, punishable with a jail sentence. Many felt it was literally the end of the road for this highly skilled tribe. Irulas had to learn to become farm laborers; others migrated to the urban shantytowns in search of jobs. A small group hung on as part of the cooperative and today, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), it is probably the only successful example of the sustainable use of a wild species in India. Under the leadership of legendary "Snake Man" Romulus Whitaker, the Irulas of Chingleput district on the shores of the Bay of Bengal banded together in 1978 and formed the Irula Snake Catchers Industrial Cooperative Society, which has flourished to this day. The co-op has served not only to provide a living but also to preserve a culture that has spanned at least three generations. The cooperative started with 26 members and today has more than 300—and is the largest venom-producing center in India with annual sales of over U.S. $15,000. Snake catchers earn several times more per live snake turned in for milking than they did for reptiles slaughtered for their skins. In helping produce antivenin, the co-op also provides a valuable social service. More than 30,000 people die due to snakebites in India each year. There is a huge demand for venom, which is used to produce antivenin, the only known cure for the effects of snake venom. Antivenin is produced by injecting venom into horses in sub-lethal doses. The horses develop antibodies to counter the venom and these are used to produce serum for use in humans bitten by snakes. "The cooperative experiment has been very successful, and it's probably the only sustainable use of a wild animal species in India" said Whitaker. "The Irula cooperative is the only venom-production unit in India in which snakes are obtained locally and not killed." Other institutions produce venom by extracting it repeatedly from each snake until the animal dies. At the cooperative, the snakes are weighed, measured, sexed and marked to prevent premature recapture. The snakes are held in captivity for only three weeks with one venom extraction per week. Then they are returned to the wild and the mortality in the center is less than one percent. Gerry Martin, a herpetologist based in Bangalore, who has been a consultant for the National Geographic Channel in India, said, "the Irula community was saved by this endeavor. They were solely dependent on the skin industry for their income. After it became illegal they had a very specialized skill but no way of using it. The cooperative gave them a chance to hold on to their traditional skill while also making a living." National Geographic Resources on Snakes Photo Essay: Snakes and How They Have Impacted Culture Go >> News Stories Poultry Eggs May Yield snake Antivenin, Experts Say "Shrunken" Boas Pose Question: Nature or Nurture? Rattlesnake Roundups Draw Crowds, Complaints India's "Snake Savior" Protects People, Reptiles Deadly Snake Hunted for Lifesaving Venom There's No Place Like Home for Sea Snakes "Venom 1" Team Saves Snakebite Victims" Birder's Journal: Toxic Snakes Add Jolt to Nature Stroll New Snake Footage Uncoils Mystery of Flying Serpents For-Profit Cobra Breeding May Aid Wild Populations Save the Scales?—Experts Push for Snake Protection Anaconda Expert Wades Barefoot in Venezuela's Swamps India's Snake Charmers Fade, Blaming Eco-Laws, TV Life Is Confusing For Two-Headed Snakes Fear of Snakes, Spiders Rooted in Evolution, Study Finds Some Snakes Find Safety In "Cross-Dressing" Anaconda Expert Wades Barefoot in Venezuela's Swamps Female-Mimicking Male Snakes Are Out to Get Warm, Study Says Interactive Features King Cobra Snake Island National Geographic Magazine Wild Gliders Snake Eyes? What Snake Eyes? For Kids Coloring Book: Emerald Tree Boas The Cartoon Factory |
| © 1996-2008 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved. |