One needs a purpose bigger than the egotistical self to choose a vocation that can get the person killed in minutes, and Kali Chokalingam knows what it is for him. At the Irula Snake Catchers Industrial Cooperative Society, housed within the Madras Crocodile Bank in Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu, visitors appear entranced by Kali as he, standing in a pit, calmly picks up a Russell’s viper. Hissing around him are other venomous snakes—cobra, common krait and saw-scaled viper—lying in terracotta pots that are sealed with cotton cloth to ensure that the reptiles receive enough air but do not escape. Holding the viper from its jawbone, while controlling its writhing body, Kali squeezes the skull until its fangs clamp over a collection vial and drops of venom flow into it.
The venom of these snakes, referred to as the “big four” as these species cause the maximum number of snake bites in the country, is used for several pharmaceutical products, including antidotes. In India, snake bites cause 58,000 deaths. Venom extraction is a highly dangerous job. But Kali, who belongs to the Irula tribal community, makes the process appear effortless.
Denne historien er fra May 16, 2022-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra May 16, 2022-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Trade On Emissions
EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, a tariff on imports, is designed to protect European industries in the guise of climate action.
'The project will facilitate physical and cultural decimation of indigenous people'
The Great Nicobar Project has all the hallmarks of a disaster-seismic, ecological, human. Why did it get the go-ahead?
TASTE IT RED
Popularity of Karnataka's red jackfruit shows how biodiversity can be conserved by ensuring that communities benefit from it
MANY MYTHS OF CHIPKO
Misconceptions about the Chipko movement have overshadowed its true objectives.
The politics and economics of mpox
Africa's mpox epidemic stems from delayed responses, neglect of its health risks and the stark vaccine apartheid
Emerging risks
Even as the world gets set to eliminate substances threatening the ozone layer, climate change and space advancement pose new challenges.
JOINING THE CARBON CLUB
India's carbon market will soon be a reality, but will it fulfil its aim of reducing emissions? A report by PARTH KUMAR and MANAS AGRAWAL
Turn a new leaf
Scientists join hands to predict climate future of India's tropical forests
Festering troubles
The Democratic Republic of Congo struggles to contain mpox amid vaccine delays, conflict and fragile healthcare.
India sees unusual monsoon patterns
THE 2024 southwest monsoon has, between June 1 and September 1, led to excess rainfall in western and southern states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, while others like Nagaland, Manipur and Punjab recorded a deficit.