PAWS-Mumbai appeals against live snake worship on Nagpanchami

Snake Charmer mostly seen near
 temple, outside railways station
& bridge

 Plant & Animals Welfare Society - Mumbai (PAWS-Mumbai) Raid Team is ready for rescue mission on the day of Nagpanchami which is on August 11, team will patrolling the entire city especially areas like Temples, railway stations / bridges, markets, etc. 

Snakes are important part of ecological cycle & plays major role in controlling population of rats. Every year rat’s eat-up quintals of grains, to avoid rats, snakes are required. That’s the reason they called as friend of farmers. On nagpanchmi & mahashivratri, these snakes are worshipped for this reason. Snake are considered as God and worshiped. Although the ancient scripts do not mention the live snakes, it has become a fashion to worship live snakes these days, Due to this practice; thousand of cobras, rat snakes, pythons, boa’s etc. are caught and brought to the city. The snakes, mostly cobras are kept hungry and thirsty for days before the annual festivals like Mahashivratri and Nagpanchami. But Boa’s are also treated especially horribly. Snakes charmers make ‘eyes and a mouth’ by burning holes in their tails with a match stick, and then they put hot wax in those holes and claim that they have two heads. They are defanged, they also stitch their mouth and their venom glands are punctured, they makes these snake - a toy. In this condition the snake cannot take any solid food and hence may be tempted to drink the milk offered to it so ‘religiously’ and many devotes put kumkum & turmeric powder on snakes which makes them blind, their mouth also get filled with these powders said Sunish Subramanian Kunju Hony. Animal Welfare Officer.    

Snake rescued from Charmer

PAWS-Mumbai team caught
 Snake Charmer using live snake

The snakes choke as the milk gets filled up in their lungs. Snakes are not adopted to drink or digest milk in the wild. Milk is a secretion given out from the mammary glands only in mammals and not in reptiles. Hence, logically a snake would not have any knowledge about milk and would certainly not drink it. Most snakes we ‘worship’ die due to our blind faith. In last few years, the awareness made by various animal welfare organizations to save snake and to worship the snake symbolically and refrain from patronizing snake charmers Nisha Kunju of PAWS-Mumbai.

As per Wildlife Protection Act 1972 it is a crime to catch snakes from wild and use them for business or even own them and as per Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 it is prohibits ill treatment and maiming of snakes of and other animals.

In past few years we seen great change in the number of snake charmer in city of Mumbai, as every year Animal welfare organize awareness and last year PAWS-Mumbai team however found only one snake charmer in city.

PAWS-Mumbai volunteer showing
Sand Boa Snake rescued from
snake charmer

As per every year, this year too PAWS-Mumbai will hold a rescue and first aid service on the day of Nagpanchami Day and there after too. PAWS-Mumbai beside rescuing and giving first aid to the snakes release them it into natural habitat of the forest under the supervision of forest staff.

This year Nagpanchami is to be celebrating on August 11, PAWS-Mumbai appeals to the members of public to refrain from torturing the snakes. If you come across any snake charmers catching snakes or incidents of live snakes worship near temples, railway stations / bridges, markets, etc in the city please support this noble mission of saving snakes by just giving a call to PAWS-Mumbai Helpline on 9833480388.