Ramesh Kumar Mahato Is Sarpmitra Of Ranchi

Ranchi: Ramesh Kumar Mahato of Ranchi is carrying out a unique campaign wherein he has been involved in rescuing snakes. Come monsoon, and the snakes make their presence felt all over, whether it is schools, hospitals, houses or playgrounds. It is common to hear their hissing from green patches.

The scared populace often resorts to killing the reptile, but Mahato tries his best to rescue them and release them in the wilderness. He has been doing this for the last two decades, during which he has rescued no less than 7,000 serpents.

He has also been engaged in taking victims of snake bites to the hospitals. He believes that snakes should not be killed out of fear; rather, they should be understood. Mahato also feels that, instead of snake poison, it is the psychological fear that is more damaging to humans.

He remembers having attacked a snake with a stick out of panic in 2004. Thinking that it was dead, he picked it up to throw it away when he saw it writhing in pain. That was the turning point in his life.

“That day, I felt for the first time that I was about to kill an innocent creature. I decided that I will never kill a snake again. Rather, I will explain the same to people,” he said.

He disclosed that catching a snake is very difficult, but more difficult is the task of releasing it at the right place. He receives an average of six calls every day on snakes of all kinds having entered a school or house, or a python is hiding in a drain. He reaches the spot on his own without any assistance.

After catching them, he puts them in plastic boxes or other safe containers and goes to the wild to release them where there is no human habitation nearby so that they can live a natural life again.

Mahato pointed out, “If people just understand which snake is poisonous and which is not, then there will be no need to kill 80% of the snakes. About 26 species of snakes are found in Jharkhand, of which only five are poisonous.”

The poisonous ones are Indian Cobra, Common Krait, Banded Krait, Russell Viper (Searchanda) and Pit Viper (Green, White Lipped and Bamboo). The rest of the snakes, like Dhamin, Red Sand Boa, Rat Snake, Checkered Keelback, etc, are non-poisonous and very beneficial since they help the farmers by eating the rats and insects in the fields.

In India, more than 50,000 people die due to snake bites every year, of which more than 1000 deaths on average are recorded in Jharkhand. Mahato believes that most of these deaths occur due to panic, black magic and delayed treatment.

According to him, in case of a snake bite, the victim needs to be calm and not let the snake run away. The victim needs to keep the bitten body part still, and he should be taken to the nearest hospital as soon as possible. If possible, a picture of the same should be taken instead of trying to catch it.

Mahato pointed out that when a snake bites, many people start making an incision with a blade. This should not be done, and neither should poison be sucked with the mouth. The people should not resort to black magic and delay taking the victim to the hospital.

He has started training the youth by conducting workshops at school, college and panchayat levels where he provides basic information about identification of snakes, their role and rescue. He has also been associated with the Forest Department as a consultant. Apart from this, he also takes additional training himself by visiting many cities in South India from time to time.

“My dream is that there should be at least one Sarpmitra (friend of snakes) in every village who does not kill the reptile but saves it. This will not only save human lives but will also maintain the wildlife balance,” he said.

Ramesh also tells the people that killing snakes is illegal under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. It can lead to a jail term of up to three years or a fine, or both. Snakes play an important role in maintaining ecological balance. Many types of medicines and vaccines are made from their venom. Apart from this, they protect crops by controlling the population of rodents.

He believes that sensitivity towards the snakes is more important than fear. “If we pick up a phone instead of immediately picking up a stick on seeing a snake, then perhaps a life can be saved, be it a human or that of the snake,” he said.

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