An Indian snake catcher lost his life after trying to kiss a snake.
Indian snake catcher Somnath Mhatre lost his life after a cobra bit him while he was trying to kiss it. Animal activists call for rules on snake rescues.
A snake is one of the dangerous animals to deal with. Recently, a resident of Navi Mumbai, Belapur, India lost his life due to a snake bite according to The Times of India news report.
Based on the report, 21-year-old Somnath Mhatre lost his life on the third day that he was confined to the hospital. It was on the 2nd day of February when the young snake catcher lost his life while he was in a civic hospital.
Furthermore, according to the report, the Pawan Sharma of Resqink Association of Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) said that the social media account of the young snake catcher who lost his life due to a snake bite contain many photos of him with the snakes. He has even a photo showing him kissing a cobra snake.
The RAWW also added that there is really a need to encourage the Thane circle of the forest department to come up with some guidelines.
According to the report, another activist from Belapur expressed that there are lots of young people who take photos with snakes like the cobra and Russell’s viper which have venoms and post them on the social media for fame.
“It will be ideal if wildlife rules and regulations are clearly spelled out to stop deadly stunts,” the Belapur activist stressed according to the report.
Meanwhile, based on the report, Snake Awareness Association’s Raghunath Jadhav expressed that before, snake catchers are being issued I.D. cards by the forest officials. However, when the cases of reptile-connected cases of “illegal wildlife activities” rise.
“Snake rescuers, especially youngsters, must not do stunts or show off while handling snakes, as it can be fatal,” the Khargar snake rescuer added.
Based on the report, Plant and Animals Welfare Society’s (PAWS-Mumbai) Sunish Subramanian said that whether the snake is venomous or not, it has always faster reflexes as compared to human beings.
The activist emphasized that “those who try to kiss snakes to upload photos are literally playing with death”. According to Kedar Bhide, a herpetologist, in 12 years, there were already 30 snake rescuers who lost their lives.