Around 150 members of the Friends of Snakes dedicate themselves to rescuing the slippery tourists
Posted Date – 06:40 AM, Thu – 1 Jun 23
A volunteer from the Snake Friends Association rescues a snake from a residential area.
Hyderabad: Every year, thousands of people die from snakebite-related accidents. At the same time, more and more snake species are heading toward extinction over time in the face of numerous man-made and natural threats. To tackle both ends, some passionate animal lovers from Hyderabad have joined an initiative working for snake conservation.
Friends of the Snake Society (FOSS) is a non-profit organization founded by the late Rajkumar Kanuri in 1995 dedicated to snake conservation and rescue operations, supported by over 150 committed and committed members, saving approximately 10,000 snakes each year .
As a working professional, G Vivek works 10 to 7, but he still finds time to volunteer.
He is passionate about working for animals, saying: “After get off work, I can do rescue operations. I work night shifts for NGOs and volunteer on weekends.”
FOSS has a 24×7 hotline number for citizens to call when they see a snake and a rescue operation is dispatched to the nearest available volunteer. The snake was taken safely to a sanctuary and released into the forest after careful handling. Another volunteer, Arun Kumar, said he was proficient enough to conduct rescue operations after months of training. “My first experience was with a cobra. I used the method I taught us to lure the snake into the bag without giving it too much trouble,” he recalls.
FOSS Secretary General Avinash V is trying to dispel the common assumption that snakes are dangerous. “The truth is, snakes avoid human contact and do their best to stay away from us. We’ve been clearing forests for our own needs and moving into their habitat. It’s us humans, close to them,” he said.
FOSS is working with the Telangana Forest Department to safely release the snakes into the forest. The helpline receives an average of about 200 calls a day to help the organization save snakes. “Anyone over the age of 18 who loves animals can join our snake conservation initiative. New members receive six months of training and then we send them to rescue operations during the time available,” Avinash said.
With the help of these 150 heroes of Hyderabad, FOSS is starting to take the initiative to make a difference.
Snakes of Hyderabad:
Hyderabad has about 41 species of snakes, only four of which are venomous. Some of the non-venomous snakes found in the city are rat snakes, wolf snakes, egg snakes, etc. One venomous snake found in Hyderabad is the Indian presumed cobra. “Snakes are cold blooded animals and they can’t stand much heat so in summer they mostly stay in their burrows. From February to April the snakes mate and when the rains start we see many baby snakes coming out, said Avinash.
by Julica Saha
