Karnataka forest department prepares draft manual to regulate rescue of snakes in state

Upon successful completion of the certification programme, the office of the Chief Wildlife Warden will issue a time-bound permission to the rescuer to rescue snakes.

“Any individual or organization found to be rescuing snakes without completing the certification and assessment as described above shall be deemed to be in violation of Section 9 and Section 12 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and suitable action initiated. All rescuers shall be required to submit a monthly report of their rescues, in the manner prescribed, to the jurisdictional Deputy Conservator of Forests, Jurisdiction being defined on the basis of proof of residence provided by the individual,” the manual said.

With regards to rescuing non-venomous snakes, the manual said, “The rescuer should ascertain the location of the snake. If it is inside the house/ office or other habitation, efforts should be made to identify the species. If the snake is non-venomous, it should not be bagged and can be released outside the building in a suitable location. If it is a nonvenomous snake outside a building, there is absolutely no need to touch it and the attending snake rescuer should engage with the people to explain why it is best to leave that snake right there.”

“Venomous snakes should preferably be released as close as possible to the site of capture. If the snake is outside a residence, office or other human habitation, ideally, it should not be touched. This is when it is important to assess risk and levels of threat or danger. Most often, the snake can simply be chased away. In situations where there are large numbers of people or if children are involved, venomous snakes can be shifted from the situation and moved to a viable location as near as possible. This could be a sewer, empty plot of land, canal, lake land, etc. Location for the release of the rescued snake shall be finalized based on the species, its ecology and behaviour and accessibility to the natural habitat most suitable for the species,” it added.

The department in the manual makes it clear that all releases of snakes shall be documented, including in photographs, and submitted to the jurisdictional deputy conservator of forest and range forest officer (RFO) on a monthly basis. “Snakes shall not be moved across divisional boundaries for release without prior information, and written permission of the jurisdictional DCF, specifying the reasons thereof. The rescued snake, if injured, should be released only after ascertaining the fitness and health condition, in consultation with officials of the Forest Department. If the snake appears to be a nonnative species, it should not be released and handed over to the Forest Department,” it added.

Referring to the recent instances of snake capture where the rescuers were seen playing with them, the forest department said, “It is to be remembered that snakes are not toys or objects to use to show off. Handling snakes is a responsibility that needs to be done with due care.”

The manual has been prepared in consultation with Gerard Martin, Founder Trustee, The Liana Trust, Hunsur, Karnataka, Sumanth Bindumadhav, Senior Manager, Humane Society International/India and Romulus Whitaker Herpetologist.