Spotted a serpent Dont panic,call a snake man……Simit Bhagat
To Some,Unusual Hobby Of Rescuing Reptiles Comes Easy
To Some,Unusual Hobby Of Rescuing Reptiles Comes Easy
Mumbai: Snakes dont usually slither through the concrete jungle that Mumbai is.Unless one speaks of odd islands of greenery like Malabar Hill,Pali Hill,Sion,Malad,Borivli and Goregaon.So what do you do if you encounter one
Most people call up the fire brigade,which maintains a roster of snake catchers,who can also be reached through the local search engine Just Dial.The interesting bit is that these snake catchers often called snake men by localsare your average Joes,not the frumpy men you probably have in mind.
People panic after spotting a snake and sometimes kill it.But most snakes found here are non-venomous.The least people can do is call us, says Rajesh Sanap (23),who is pursuing higher studies after graduating from Patkar College.I get calls almost every day.There have been times when I have rescued as many as seven snakes.
Sanap is a known face in Marol,Andheri (East),where he resides.Snakes are not difficult to spot in the area,which is close to Aarey Milk Colony,from where Sanap receives the most number of calls.
Passionate about his work,he has published scientific papers on geckos and scorpions found in the colony.His prized rescues include a monitor lizard found at a house in the Marol police colony and an Olive Ridley turtle,which had washed ashore at the Bandra Bandstand.
Parthiv Sanghavi (33) has lost count of the snakes he has rescued till now.This businessman rescued his first snake,a boa constrictor,in 2003,when his friends mentioned the reptiles presence in their locality in a casual conversation.
The snake looked liked a Russells viper,which is venomous,but I wasnt sure.I was also afraid it might be killed by the locals.When I caught it,it turned out to be a boa.I released it in the wild, he says.
Sanghavis catches include the Russells viper,python and cobra.His hobby inspired him to make a scientific study of snakes;recently,he completed a one-year course in herpetology (the study of amphibiansfrogs,toads,salamanders,etc and reptiles) from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
Sanghavi is upset that some people take to snake catching without a proper study of technique.A person handling snakes needs to know a lot of things: catching technique,places where the reptiles can be released,and how to respond to snakebites.Showing off should be the last thing a snake catcher should do, he says.
Handling snakes is not childs play and should not be taken up by youngsters for fun.Rescuing snakes is more in the nature of service to people and nature.It should not be used to gain popularity.
The first snake Sameer Kehimkar (27) caught was a common trinket found on the premises of his school in Navi Mumbai.He was in standard V then.Now he is a graphic designer,but his reptilian pursuit continues.Relating his most unforgettable encounter,he says: There was this python which would gobble up chickens from a friends farm in Dombivli.This was going on for months.
My friend initially thought that the servants were behind the missing birds.So he asked them to leave.Despite that the birds kept disappearing.Finally,after six months,we discovered that a nine-foot python was the culprit.
I caught it and then released it in a forest on the outskirts of the city.
Kehimkar has formed a network of snake catchers in Navi Mumbai.He has also helped researchers conduct surveys on little-known amphibians in Arunachal Pradesh,Assam,Meghalaya,West Bengal,and also Maharashtra.In 2006,he received Sanctuary magazines Youth Naturalist Award for his reptile conservation work.He says: Ive merged my passion with my profession.I design posters,banners and illustrations for magazines and books on wildlife.This way,I sustain myself thorough my hobby.
Poisonous species
Snakes in Mumbai are usually found in Malabar Hill,Pali Hill,Worli,Sion,Andheri,Malad,Borivli and Goregaon.Most species are non-venomous,but the bite of some can be fatal.Here are a few:
Naja naja,or Indian cobra | Can be up to 150 cm in length
Calliophis melanurus,or Indian coral snake | Can be 34 cm
Russells viper | Can be 160 cm
Echis carinatus,or Phoorsa,a viper | Can be 40 cm.Strikes with speed at the smallest provocation
Trimeresurus gramineus,or Indian tree viper | Can be 75 cm.Easily recognized by its triangular head and golden eyeballs
Enhydrina schistose,or beaked sea snake | Can be 120 cm.Ash coloured with round body.Usually spotted in Versova after high tide
Hydrophis mammillaris,or Bombay sea snake | Buff coloured
Risky pursuit
* In October 2009,well-known snake catcher and conservationist Sunil S Ranade,credited with rescuing over 15,000 snakes over 15 years,died after being bitten by a cobra.Ranade,who was 37,worked as an animal inspector with the Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
* During the July 26,2005 deluge,he rescued nearly 100 snakes and released them in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park.He was the first person Mumbaikars would contact upon spotting a snake
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URL: http://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/getpage.aspx?pageid=6&pagesize=&edid=&edlabel=TOIM&mydateHid=13-12-2010&pubname=&edname=&publabel=TOI