With a goal to enhance snake rescue operations in the state, the Karnataka forest department Monday launched a manual entitled ‘Reliable Human-Snake Dispute Management and Mitigation– An Operation Handbook for Qualified Snake Rescuers’.
Through the standards, the forest department has actually restated the requirement to recognize, train and accredit authentic snake rescuers throughout the state and suppress any prohibited activities referring to snake rescue.
The standards were prepared by herpetologists Padma Shri recipient Romulus Whitaker, Gerard Martin, and Sumanth Bindumadhav, after seeking advice from other snake rescuers in the state.
According to the handbook, the forest department will carry out regular accreditation programs in the forest training institutes for individuals who want to be associated with the rescue of snakes. The accreditation program with a duration of four-five days will cover important subjects such as crowd management, comprehending snake dispute, gentle snake dealing with practices, snakebite management, acknowledging the requirement for snake rescue, and comprehending snake biology and ecology to name a few pertinent subjects important for any snake rescuer to have understanding about.
” These standards and accreditation programs to follow are the requirement of the hour in the state. We will introduce this program methodically with the objective of acknowledging, verifying, and licensing all well-intentioned rescuers in the state quickly and setting an example for other states to follow,” stated Vijaykumar Gogi, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Karnataka.
Among the authors of the file, Sumanth Bindumadhav, senior supervisor, Humane Society International/India, hailed the relocation by the state federal government to acknowledge rescuers and empower them with the best understanding and abilities as it associates with snake dispute management. “Through this procedure, rescuers will pertain to recognize that the very best rescue is one when you allow friendly coexistence in between neighborhoods and snakes around them. Numerous years of research study has actually revealed us that elimination or moving of snakes just increases dispute and does not resolve the issue,” Bindumadhav stated.
The manual specifies all rescuers send a month-to-month report of their saves, in the way recommended, to the jurisdictional deputy conservator of forests.
Gerard Martin, creator trustee at The Liana Trust mentioned that human-snake dispute has a greater expense to life and limb than all other human-wildlife disputes in India integrated. “Nevertheless, it is one that can be resolved with largescale education and the intro of reliable practices. Snake rescuers have the prospective to be drivers for this modification. This handbook is the initial step in the Karnataka Forest Department’s efforts to cause favorable and reliable modification in the field.” Martin stated.
The Karnataka forest department in October released a draft handbook to offer standard procedure (SOP) that guide a rescuer to effectively handle a dispute scenario, consisting of a gentle handling of snakes.(*)
