On World Snake Day, here is a painful fact: ‘Rescuers’ are technically hunting and abusing the reptiles, all for monetary gains

Kamal Choudhary claims to be a snake rescuer. On his YouTube Channel is the video of a snake trapped in a milk container. In the video, Choudhary narrates how the snake’s poison has changed the milk’s colour.

Eventually, the snake is removed as part of a successful ‘rescue effort’ by Choudhary.

Another YouTuber and ‘snake rescuer’, Murali Hausla, features in a video that shows snakes having ‘accidentally’ fallen in a dry well. Eventually, Hausla ‘risks’ his life to ‘save’ them. His channel, ‘Murliwale Hausla’, has over 16 million subscribers and the video in question alone has 75 million views.

A number of such ‘rescuers’ abound on social media channels. But scientists and experts are concerned that such videos produced by influencers amount to hunting and violate the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

Experts claim that such videos are often staged or dramatised to garner views, increase reach and monetise.

For instance, referring to Choudhary’s video, they said milk turning blue due to snake venom is a myth.

Jose Louies, chief executive of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), a non-profit working on wildlife conservation, told Down To Earth, “The (Murali Hausla) video shows cobras and rat snakes together. Ecologically, this is not possible as cobras prey on rat snakes. Moreover, all the snakes inside the well are adults, which makes it even more suspicious.”

These videos look staged with high-end cameras, with the rescuer rescuing the snakes surrounded by a crowd, the experts said.

“Using snakes for social media is not just about publicity. Monetary gains are clearly the motive behind such stunts. This is a type of ‘new age hunting,’ where the purpose is more complicated that killing and eating. Several such people have been seriously injured or even killed,” Louies said.

Aman Krishna, senior talent manager at IPLIX media, a marketing agency, said, “A YouTube video with a million views can easily fetch between Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh. A video can earn at least Rs 25,000-Rs 50,000 with minimal advertisements.”

For videos with 20 million or 75 million views, the YouTube algorithm may introduce more advertisements, translating into greater revenue, he added.

Louies said these rescuers/influencers mishandle the snakes that are often protected under the WPA and classified as ‘Schedule I’ species, receiving protection equivalent to a tiger.

For instance, an Instagram handle named saiba_19 is seen rescuing a snake with bare hands and then playing with it. “It is not known what happens to these snakes once rescued. The video rarely provides information on aspects of conservation,” he said.

He said such an act amounts to the textbook definition of hunting. “Hunting does not always mean killing or poaching or consuming a wild animal. It also applies to removing an animal from the wild, capturing and moving it from one place to another,” Louies added.

Herpetologist and head scientist at non-profit Reliance Foundation, Varad Giri, said snake videos receive huge viewership because of the fear and curiosity around the animal. “Moreover, any person rescuing or handling a snake is considered brave and courageous. But these videos have content that is not even close to a rescue,” he added.

For instance, he said, a rescue should be done without touching the animal. “Many of the videos are obscene in nature and show abuse of the animal. Many states such as Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha and Tamil Nadu, among others, have set protocols for snake rescues,” he said.

But holding snakes and using them as props is ill-intended and amounts to a violation of the WPA and abuse of the species.

Snakes like the Indian Rock Python (Python molurus) and King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) are protected under Schedule I of the WPA and handling the species without permission from forest department officials is a punishable offence, with jail up to seven years.  

Every attempt towards capturing, coursing, snaring, trapping, driving or baiting any wild or captive animal is also considered violation as per norms.

Giri said many forest officials allow the alleged snake rescuer to help them as a part of goodwill efforts and to meet staff shortage. “But they have taken undue advantage, and the efforts are not genuine,” he added.

Experts have called for scrutiny and punishing these ‘influencers/rescuers’ for torture of animals and violation of the WPA.