India is known as the country of snake charmers and the rope-trick. The snake charmer plays his melody and the snake emerges from the basket and breaks into a dance. But the snake is not dancing to the music, it only moves to the motion of the swaying flute. Snakes cannot hear.

Snakes have always been associated negatively in the minds of most people. Commonly believed to be poisonous and dangerous, they are also viewed as a slimy, ugly and hostile species. Rarely is anyone seen to look at a snake in the wild with delight and calm. Most of us, with preconceived notions, have despised this beautiful creature without understanding it. And the mere sight of a snake is frightening.

Some Myths Regarding Snakes

Snakes are incredibly graceful and attractive. Some of the species of these legless invertebrates are colored in incredible hues. Unlike common belief, they are as afraid of us as we are of them. Common Indian snakes are absolutely harmless.

·Only 150 out of 2000 species of snakes are poisonous.

·Known to use venom only in case of self- defense, snakes are not out hunting to prey on humans.

·Without snakes, we would have rats all around us.

Some common snakes:

·The rat snake is found commonly in farmlands and preys on rats, thus protecting cultivation. It is over 2 meters long and very swift.

·The striped Keelback is a common grass snake. It is slim and small.

·The checkered Keelback haunts watery areas like wells, canals and tanks.

·The Vine snake is distinctive with its beautiful green color and long tapering snout.

·The Wolf snake which looks a bit like the Krait, is a nocturnal reptile, which visits houses in search of lizards. It grows only up to 60 cms.

·Apart from the above common species found in Indian plains, there is an elite group of some majestic snakes like the King Cobra, Russell’s Viper and flying snakes. To sight these elite few is a glorious treat. Their hunting skills are flawless and amazing.

Unfortunately, snakes have always been at the tail end of possible conservation topics. Illegal trade of snake-skins had reached alarming proportions. Skins were used to be exported for use in making snake skin purses or bags. Laborartory. As children we were instinctively afraid of snakes and so it was acceptable or even desirable to beat up snakes with stones and sticks to drive them away. I thought all snakes are poisonous and all look and move the same way.

Protecting The Snakes

Snakes need to be equally safeguarded by environmental laws like the rest of wildlife. We all know that tigers face the dangers of extinction. But, do we know that several species of snakes are already extinct and that still others are on the threshold of extinction? Snakes are hugely important for maintaining ecological balance. Of course some work is already being done in this regard; the Snake Park in Madras is the only park in this country dedicated towards preserving some invaluable species of snakes from extinction. On the other hand the Haffikne Institute in Mumbai is the only institute where research work on snakes, their venom and antidotes have been developed.

Some of the things we can do to support life:

·Do not support snake charmers. In fact, report them to the authorities.

·Celebrate the festival of Nagpanchmi without involving snakes.

·Do not use or purchase products made from snakeskin.

Dealing with snake bites:

·In case of snake - bite; identify the snake from the bite mark. A semi - circular row of punters indicate a bite from a non-venomous snake.

·Two bleeding points indicate bite from a poisonous snake.

·Only the bitten part should be kept immobilized.

·A tourniquet should be tied only on single bones, like the upper arm above the elbow and the thigh.

·A tourniquet should not be tied for more than an hour.

·It must be slackened every 10 minutes for 30 seconds to prevent the blood supply from being cut off.

·In case of being bitten by a poisonous snake the victim should not be allowed to sleep, that is the common perception.

·The person should be taken to hospital immediately after first aid so he/she can be given anti-venom injections.

Snakes are invaluable to humans same as all other creatures. Some are dangerous some are not. To protect ensures protection of our ecological biodiversity and balance. Reptiles in general are not pleasant to look at, but in our culture we have a day dedicated to snakes known as Nagpanchmi. Knowingly or unknowingly thousand of snakes are caught and they perish because they are fed milk by faithfuls. Lord Shiva has a snake around his neck. So must we destroy what we worship?