Forest department plans database of snake catchers

They will be educated on the Wildlife Conservation Act

The forest department in Dakshina Kannada is mulling over streamlining the snake catchers by creating their database and issuing certificates.

There are several amateur snake catchers in the district who are neither professionally trained nor professional experts in the field.

The department has already held a meeting of snake catchers and also held a workshop for them with the help of experts, said DCF Dr Y Dinesh Kumar to DH.

The act of rescuing poisonous snakes from residential houses and layouts needs expert snakes rescuers, he said.

The department had held a workshop recently at Salumarada Timmakka Tree Park, Birumale Gudde, in Puttur.

Another workshop for the snake catchers will be held with experts from Agumbe Rainforest Research Station and other experts from Kerala shortly.

The snake catchers will be trained on rescuing snakes and educated about details of the Wildlife Conservation Act and others.

A committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Assistant Conservator of Forest for screening the bio-data of the snake catchers.

“We need to check their background, area where they reside, nature of snake catching and others. Once the biodata is screened, we will get details on snake catchers. We want to have a minimum of three to four snake catchers in each range. We will recognise them and a certificate will be issued to them. With this, each range forest will have details of snake catchers along with their address and phone numbers,” said Dinesh Kumar.

“The snake catchers will be given a data sheet to fill on the species of snake caught by them and the area where it was caught. Further, the place where the caught snake was released. This will help the forest department to get data on the species of snakes that are found in a particular area and also have accountability on the snakes that are caught and released into the forest. Further, it will also help to check any illegal activities,” he added.

There are instances of snake catchers losing their lives after a stunt while catching a snake goes wrong. Some amateur snake catchers post videos of them catching snakes on social media. Catching snakes without proper knowledge will amount to hurting the snake as well, said the DCF.

Hence, the department felt the need to impart training for the snake catchers. Snake catchers should not do any stunts or show off while handling snakes as it can be fatal, he said.