Explore the mysterious snake tribe in India

The snake catching profession to prepare the famous anti-venom drug of the Irula tribe people - India is at risk of "losing root" when the younger generation is increasingly afraid of snakes.

In casual clothes, Mr. Rajendran calmly brought a cobra into a clay pot with a rudimentary snake stick.

Close to death

That dangerous act was part of the daily work of Mr. Rajendran, the tribe of Irula. This is one of India's oldest indigenous communities, living along the northeastern coast of Tamil Nadu state. They own an ancient and extensive knowledge of snakes and snake catching skills that are considered to be an important contribution to the health care system in India but are rarely recorded.

Sharing when standing next to the local non-toxic snake signs, Mr. Rajendran said: "Many people are afraid of snakes. But we should remember snakes only care about survival. If we move excited, they will see it as a threat and can attack.If we stand still, snakes often leave.

Mr. Rajendran is working on snake catching and taking venom at the Irula Snake Cooperative, founded in 1978 in the coastal village of Vadanemmeli, outskirts of Chennai. This association is licensed to keep 800 snakes at the same time."We captured each snake for 21 days and took the venom four times during that time and released it to the wild. A small symbol was marked on the snake's abdomen to avoid catching a snake multiple times. Signing This brand will disappear after several times the skin peels off, ' explained Rajendran.

Nearly 50,000 people die from snake bites in India each year and the most reliable treatment is to quickly take venom-resistant drugs. According to the BBC, there are about 6 companies across India producing about 1.5 million bottles of antidote each year and most of the venom used to make drugs is taken by Irula people.

The Irula tribe is famous for its skillful snake catching skills.(Photo: ALAMY).

For Mr. Rajendran, his mastery in snake catching and deep understanding of this animal originated in his childhood in the forests. Before he was 10 years old, he witnessed hundreds of snakes captured. Irula people often work quietly, even when they go to the forest with others. Instinctively, they knew the importance of faint traces on the ground, from which the decision should continue to follow or ignore. However, people of this tribe often cannot interpret their own understanding of snakes, even with reptile experts.

For most of the twentieth century, tens of thousands of Irula people made their living by hunting snakes to get their skin even though they did not eat this animal. A leather set is paid from 10-50 rupees before it is processed and exported to Europe and America for use in the fashion industry. By 1972, the Wildlife Protection Act was enacted in India, which prohibits snake hunting.

Romulus Whitaker, a researcher who worked with the Irula for nearly 50 years, said the Irula people began to struggle since the law was enforced. The little money earned from selling snakes still accounts for most of the monthly income of many Irula families."I can say they are almost starving, " Mr. Whitaker said.

Your father, I . are not connected

An important turning point comes from the birth of the Industrial Cooperative Association, which captures Irula snakes, creating legal conditions for local people to use their traditional skills. The skilled Irula snakes skill helps them receive an invitation to cooperate from Florida State Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (USA). Two members of the community, Vadivel Gopal and Masi Sadayan, went to the US to participate in a project to deal with Burma that threatened mammals in the Everglades National Park."The Irula people are our best choice," commented Joe Wasilewski, a wildlife expert at the University of Florida (USA).

However, the lives of the people of Irula still face many pressures. Mr. Rajendran worried that the urbanization situation was spreading to Vadanemmeli and commercial facilities gradually encroached on the wild environment. Chennai currently has more than 7 million people and extends in all directions, threatening to "swallow" the village of Vadanemmeli. Near the snake venom mining area, high-end resorts are coming up. In addition, the World Health Organization recommends that venom-resistant drugs must be made from snakes that are completely captive, meaning that the demand for Irula's skills can be eroded because they specialize in Catch wild snakes.

Masi, Vadivel and Rajendran are probably also the last generation of the Irula tribe with knowledge of this reptile. Most Irula families now want their children to integrate into modern India. Many children of the Irula tribe go to school and no longer go to the forest with their parents."Many young Irula are now even afraid of snakes," Mr. Whitaker said.