Snakes in India:paying the price of their priceless venom
A rogue is caught in the kanjikode village of kerala state with illicit goods that are not considered a gold mine by common man. The item is venom of a king cobra and the quantity is merely 200 ml. Even a negligible amount of a king cobra"s venom can prove fatal,so the thought of collecting such a dangerous thing should not even cross our minds. In spite of this,the value of the small amount of venom found on the rogue equals about 20 million rupees in the grey market.The retail price rises even higher in the international market.
Such an illegal trade is being conducted on a large scale in India;but the venom traders of kerala have surpassed all limits by destroying the very existence of the snakes in the state. Thousands of snakes like the king cobra,Russell's viper,krait,etc. are killed every year in order to extract their precious venom. The use of this illegally sold venom is again illegal. According to Ayurveda ( traditional medicine system of india), the use of minute does of snake venom is very effective in certain types of diseases. for example, the venom of Russell's viper has proved most effective in hemophilia. In quite a few medicines of homeopathy,the diluted venom of krait is used.
The snake venom which is smuggled out of India is used more for intoxication than for medicinal purposes.The main buyers are the inhabitants of Thailand and Taiwan. Some quantity is sent to Europe and USA.When one litre of the venom fetches a profit of a whopping 100 million rupees,it is but natural that traders will go to any extent to reap profits.
Biochemically, snake venom is of two types: hemotoxic and neurotoxic venom affects the nervous system.This type of venom is more dangerous as the victim's heart and the lungs cannot carry out their functions.According to the Indian wildlife act 1972,collecting snake venom without authorised permission is considered a crime.The convict faces a seven year sentence and /or fine of RS 25000/- just like many other laws of the Indian Constitution,this one is also confined to law books.Right from the tiger to the mongoose,no animal is safe in India and now snakes have been added to the poacher's hit list. Venom traders capture a large number of snakes in order to collect venom. Ones a poisonous snake like king cobra is captured, they make it to bite the rubber covered collection bottle.(Photo,above). Snakes like the cobra and viper release only 40 to 60 micro grams of venom with every bite. Snake venom is a special type of protein. When it comes in contact with air,its poisonous effect reduces rapidly and so it has to be sealed immediately and preserved in cool atmosphere.The snake catchers who work with the traders obviously do not have such facilities with them and so they just kill the snake to preserve its venom in its body. Snakes are being killed thoughtlessly in India.The only small salvation or blessing in disguise is the great reduction in the fatalities caused by snake bite.
Such an illegal trade is being conducted on a large scale in India;but the venom traders of kerala have surpassed all limits by destroying the very existence of the snakes in the state. Thousands of snakes like the king cobra,Russell's viper,krait,etc. are killed every year in order to extract their precious venom. The use of this illegally sold venom is again illegal. According to Ayurveda ( traditional medicine system of india), the use of minute does of snake venom is very effective in certain types of diseases. for example, the venom of Russell's viper has proved most effective in hemophilia. In quite a few medicines of homeopathy,the diluted venom of krait is used.
The snake venom which is smuggled out of India is used more for intoxication than for medicinal purposes.The main buyers are the inhabitants of Thailand and Taiwan. Some quantity is sent to Europe and USA.When one litre of the venom fetches a profit of a whopping 100 million rupees,it is but natural that traders will go to any extent to reap profits.
Biochemically, snake venom is of two types: hemotoxic and neurotoxic venom affects the nervous system.This type of venom is more dangerous as the victim's heart and the lungs cannot carry out their functions.According to the Indian wildlife act 1972,collecting snake venom without authorised permission is considered a crime.The convict faces a seven year sentence and /or fine of RS 25000/- just like many other laws of the Indian Constitution,this one is also confined to law books.Right from the tiger to the mongoose,no animal is safe in India and now snakes have been added to the poacher's hit list. Venom traders capture a large number of snakes in order to collect venom. Ones a poisonous snake like king cobra is captured, they make it to bite the rubber covered collection bottle.(Photo,above). Snakes like the cobra and viper release only 40 to 60 micro grams of venom with every bite. Snake venom is a special type of protein. When it comes in contact with air,its poisonous effect reduces rapidly and so it has to be sealed immediately and preserved in cool atmosphere.The snake catchers who work with the traders obviously do not have such facilities with them and so they just kill the snake to preserve its venom in its body. Snakes are being killed thoughtlessly in India.The only small salvation or blessing in disguise is the great reduction in the fatalities caused by snake bite.
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