Karnataka - Bangalore   

Don’t feed them, just let them be

BANGALORE: With Nagara Panchami celebrations coming up on August 6, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has appealed to those who worship Nagadevata to pay obeisance to snakes, who represent the devata, rather than torturing them in the name of rituals.

In a release, PETA said preparations for Nagara Panchami commences with snakes being captured in suffocating bags and kept in tiny boxes.

“They are starved and their teeth violently yanked out; many have theirs mouths painfully sewn shut. In some cases, their venom ducts are often pierced with hot needle, causing their glands to burst,” it said.

“Some snakes go blind because the tikka applied to their hood during puja often trickles into their eyes,” the release added.

“Festivals do not ask for torture, celebrations can do without forcing snakes to perform and cramming them in baskets,” said salsa dancer Sandip Soparrkar, who has modelled for PETA’s campaign against torture of snakes.

In the provocative photo shot by Ashok Salian, supermodel Jesse Randhawa is transformed into a snake in a form-fitting bodysuit while Sandip “charms” her with a flute.

“Performance should be by choice, not by force. Snakes may not scream, but they suffer to entertain us. Hear their pain,” Jesse said.

It said that instead of paying obeisance to snakes, people force them to drink milk.

“Because they are starved and deprived of water, the thirsty snakes consume milk offered to them. Since milk is not a part of their natural diet, milk consumption usually causes severe dehydration, allergic reaction and often dysentery and most snakes die as a result,” the release claimed.

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