Wild growth in vacant areas and lack of activity due to the COVID-19 lockdown for a few months has led to a sudden growth of snake population in rural and urban (mostly outskirts) habitations in Chittoor district. The man-snake conflict has yielded unexpected dividends for many snake-catchers but hundreds of reptiles are getting killed in the process.
The presence of lizards and frogs in stagnant water amidst the wild growth near residential localities has attracted snakes to the habitations. The thick vegetation that resulted from the copious rains since June and lack of maintenance activity by civic authorities owing to the pandemic situation and staff shortage helped turn these environs into safe havens for reptiles, according to a forest official.
In the Chittoor Municipal Corporation people of several divisions on the outskirts and abutting hillocks are sighting snakes regularly while Srikalahasti and Vedam village offer a regular spectacle of snakes invading houses and getting killed. The problem is also serious in the newly developed municipalities of Nagari and Puttur and Kuppam.
However, a majority of the snakes killed are non-poisonous ones like rat snakes. There are also instances of killing cobras, vipers and pythons. “Due to public fear, we just can’t interfere in the matter. We prefer the issue to be overcome naturally over a period of time,” says the official.
Prize catch
Amidst the new found demand for snake-catchers, a woman from Kalyanapuram in Puttur mandal has turned into a household name since a couple of months ago. “I have killed 23 snakes, including 16 cobras, at various localities in Puttur town in a month. Killing four cobras in a day is the highlight. As it’s a dangerous game, I charge a flat ₹2,000 for each snake,” she claims.
When a cobra enters a house, it will be near impossible to track it, says a snake-catcher at Satyavedu. “Unlike other snakes, it hides in holes and corners without movement for a couple of days. In some cases, the search will go on for a couple of days. We charge ₹5,000 per snake in such conditions,” he adds.
It is observed that the sentiment attached to the killing of snakes works in favour of catchers, as youth who usually dare to kill viper species are advised by elders to stay away from cobras.