It is very important to protect and conserve snakes for the future of mankind, says Snake Shyam

Mysuru:  “Snakes do not drink milk or ghee, they are non-vegetarians,” said city’s well-known snake rescuer Snake Shyam.

Delivering a lecture as part of World Snake Day at Mysuru Zoo auditorium here yesterday, Shyam said: “snakes played an important role as they form a key link in the food chain. They act as predators and as prey. They eat rats and rodents which destroy crops of farmers and help maintain a healthy ecosystem and environment. Hence, it is very important to protect and conserve them for the future of mankind.”

Speaking further, he said that most people believe that snakes do not harm those with Garuda Machhe which is a myth and discouraged people not to pour milk and ghee on anthills during festivals as it would destroy the anthill and kill the snake which may have taken shelter inside and suggested people to give milk to the poor instead of wasting it.

Stating that the smallest is the Blind Snake and the largest is the Python in India, Shyam said that while all snakes lay eggs and incubate them, Viper, Green Vine Snake and Sand Boa are the only three snakes which give birth to young ones.

Shyam said that there were about 3,000 various species of snakes in the world and 275 species in India and added that Cobra, Viper, King Cobra, Krait and Sea Snake are venomous.

He said that when a person is bitten by a venomous snake, first and most important thing to do is not to panic. Wash the bitten part with soap, never drink water and immediately rush the person to a hospital where anti-venom injections are available.

Never tie the bitten portion tightly with twine nor cut the bitten part with a blade as there are chances of the person dying due to loss of blood, he added.   

Zoo Executive Director Ajith Kulkarni, Deputy Director Manjunath, Assistant Director Dr. Ramesh, Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK) Member-Secretary B.P. Ravi and others were present during the programme.