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Kali, a snake-catcher from Tamil Nadu’s Chengalpet district, was interviewed by YNN member Rohith Srinivasan as part of our World Ranger Day initiative, ‘In Nature’s Defence’.
Kali anna, as he is called by most people (‘anna’ meaning 'elder brother' in Tamil), belongs to the Irula tribe which is known for its prowess in tracking and catching snakes. Kali anna has been catching snakes for over 30 years now and works with the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust to catch snakes to manufacture antivenom, the only treatment for venomous snake bites. He has survived three potentially lethal snake bites over the course of his life, one of which even sent him into a coma for a few days, but he continues to work with these magnificent reptiles to this day. He also regularly guides people on snake walks to teach the public about snake identification and create awareness about how harmless they are. |
I began catching snakes at the age of 7, learning from my father who was also a snake catcher. When he passed away I dropped out of school and started catching snakes professionally to support my family. I have been catching snakes for more than 33 years now.
One of the things I enjoy most about my job is showing the general public snakes during snake walks, teaching them about venomous and non-venomous snakes, and helping spread awareness about snakes. Most people who attend these walks are scared and don’t know much about snakes so it makes me really happy to be able to show them how harmless snakes are and change their minds about these beautiful creatures.
Kali anna showing visitors a buff-striped keelback during a snake walk
When I visit a new location to look for snakes, I can identify the kind and number of snakes that are found there by surveying the region and scanning it for snake skin, faeces and tracks. I think this comes with experience- wherever I travel, I keep looking for snakes- my eyes are always oriented towards tracking them. While catching snakes, we do a recce survey of the region in the morning and return at night to catch the snakes found there. Our daytime surveys help us pinpoint the snakes’ location quite accurately so our nocturnal missions are usually successful.
But what I love the most about my job is catching venomous snakes and extracting venom from them to manufacture anti-venom. Working with MCBT (Madras Crocodile Bank Trust), we catch 4 species for venom extraction- Spectacled Cobra, Common Krait, Russell’s Viper and Saw-scaled Viper. These are also known as the Big 4 Snakes of India. As we keep the snakes in captivity for a while, we can’t leave them hungry so we catch rats regularly to feed the snakes. I get a yearly license to catch snakes. During the breeding season, which is from mid February to mid March, the Forest Department revokes our licences and returns them to us after the breeding season ends. Even after that, female snakes are not caught for a few months.
My favourite snakes are the big four. I have been catching them for a very long time and among them, the Indian Krait is my favourite- it is the calmest of the four. There are close to 30 species of snake in my area which means I get to see a variety of snakes while looking for Kraits at night. During the mating season, we sometimes find even 5 kraits at a time! My snake-catching skills have allowed me to travel across India with Romulus Whitaker but I haven’t worked in Agumbe Rainforest Research Station yet- something I hope to do so I get an opportunity to catch the King Cobra, one of the snakes on my wishlist.
The younger generation in my community is learning about snakes and how to catch them too. I often take my children with me on short snake walks to help them learn about snakes- they watch me catch snakes and I occasionally let them catch a few too. I believe it's important for them to learn this skill along with the education they get from school. My entire family is filled with snake catching experts- my wife and children catch snakes found around my house and my son also works as a snake catcher now.
If you’re interested in snakes, snake identification is incredibly important to learn. Don’t catch snakes without identifying them as venomous or non-venomous and please don’t catch venomous snakes without proper gear and training- call a proper snake rescuer instead. I always teach those who come on snake walks the differences between various snakes and different species’ identification marks.
Snakes are incredibly misunderstood creatures- take it from me, a man who’s been working with them for most of his life and is constantly trying to teach people the truth about them. Instead of only seeing them negatively, make an effort to learn or read about them. Only then will you understand how harmless and truly beautiful they are.
All photographs used in the article belong to Ekadh Ranganathan.
