The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Many lives lost due to snakebites

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Wednesday, Jan 02, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Many lives lost due to snakebites

S. Harpal Singh

Lack of awareness in rural societies believed to be reason for the fatalities

Gruesome end: A cobra killed by residents of a colony near the Adilabad aerodrome after it bit one of them.

ADILABAD: Is the slithery reptile a sinner or is it more a case of being sinned against? This is the dilemma faced by animal lovers whenever a human being dies due to snakebite or a snake is killed by humans.

Every year, an unusually high number of deaths due to snakebites is registered in Adilabad district. Most of the persons dying of snakebite are farmers from plain areas. According to official statistics, 46 persons had died due to snakebite in 2006 while the corresponding figure for 2007 up to October is 31. Besides, an equal number of deaths from interior area is believed to go unreported.

Is the loss of traditional knowledge and lack of awareness about snakes in rural societies the main reason for the conflict between man and snake?

The answer seems to be yes when certain factors are taken into consideration.

Snake repellent

Stem of the tella usiri (trifolium repens) and that of the nalla usiri was used in rural societies as a snake repellent.

The creeper was grown along hedgerows and boundaries of farms, houses and the enclosures for domestic animals. Besides, small pieces of this repellent were tied to the ‘moladaram’ or the thread tied around the waist of males working in fields.

Rafique is a snake catcher in Adilabad who says the stem of the two creepers makes the reptile impotent helping him catch them bare handed. His late father Ameenuddin was also a famous snake catcher in town who had used the ‘jadi-booti’ or herb.

Defies death

“Though the practice is decreasing slowly, tribals still grow the creepers in villages,” revealed Mesram Manohar, a tribal lecturer at Utnoor’s degree college. Perhaps this explains for the low rate of snakebite deaths among tribals in the district. B. Muralidhar, agriculture officer, also vouches for the traditional knowledge and treatment. He quotes the example of one Mallaiah, a farm hand in Sonala village in Boath mandal, who was bitten by snakes on a dozen occasions and still survived. Mallaiah had always resorted to the traditional medicine system.

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