Wildlife experts provide tips to snake rescuers

Wildlife experts today provided tips to people involved in the rescue and rehabilitation of snakes and to reduce risks for the rescuers.

The experts at a workshop said snake rescue is the first line of defence to reduce human-snake conflict and will also help reduce human casualty.

The two-day workshop was organised by the Wildlife Trust of India and International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) at Manas National Park in Assam from May 19.

It was done as part of the formation of the Indian Snake Rescuers Network (ISRN), which falls under the aegis of the Emergency Relief Network (ERN) Project of IFAW-WTI,

The workshop was attended by 20 participants from various districts of Assam and included individuals, NGO representatives, Forest Department staff and two staff members from the Ecological Task Force (ETF) of the Army based in Kokrajhar.

 

Soham Mukherjee from Ahmedabad, WTI's Wildlife Enforcement said "Snake rescue is one of the most prevalent wildlife related work being undertaken in India. However, many of the individuals involved in it are either ill-equipped, ill-trained or lack the information and learning flow to carry this out ethically and scientifically".

This type of workshop and constitution of a network will not only improve the situation but also generate a lot of information on the quantum of such rescues being done in North-east India, he added.

Topics such as basic taxonomy of snakes; handling, capture and transport of snakes; legal considerations relevant to snake rescue; snake-bite management, were discussed in the workshop.

Bhaskar Choudhury, WTIs Head Veterinarian (North East) and Head of the IFAW-WTI Greater Manas Conservation Project said, "The workshop was held with the objective of educating the snake rescuers of the State. Fortunately, we found that Assam rescuers are better off than others in terms of detrimental and unscientific practices while rescuing snakes".

"We have trained a core team of students, enthusiasts and sensitised citizens in practising a scientific approach to rescue and rehabilitation of snakes in the State", Choudhury added.