Pandemic bites into snake charmer's earnings

Bineesh of Kerala took up the job of snake catching as a passion but the coronavirus sweeping across India and the world has shattered his dreams.

Palakkad (Kerala):India opted for lockdown in March to combat the coronavirus pandemic with little to no preparation affecting millions of vulnerable citizens.

Bineesh a temporary staff with the Malampuzha Snake Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre under the Kerala Forest Department Palakkad is one among them.

When he saw a highly poisonous cobra remaining put with its head low before a snake catcher, Bineesh was in awe for the snake catcher and his ability. Later on, this admiration for the snake catcher led him to take up snake catching as a job.

Bineesh was appointed as a temporary staff with the Malampuzha Snake Park in 1996. He stepped in the role of a caretaker for more than a hundred snakes, both poisonous and non-poisonous, at the Snake Park.

He has rescued thousands of snakes so far and captured more than a 100 king cobras and released them in the forest. He was bitten by snakes twice and had escaped from the verge of death. However, Bineesh says, his job as a snake rescuer is dearer than his own life.

Earlier, the Department of Forests and Wildlife had appointed snake caretakers as ‘Forest watchers’. Nevertheless, Bineesh missed that opportunity as he had not completed 20 years of service then.

Now with the COVID pandemic, Malampuzha Snake Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre where Bineesh works has been closed. He is being paid only a 15-day salary now.

As the income has been reduced due to the COVID situation, Bineesh has been finding it hard to sustain his livelihood.

Any help from the authorities could be a great relief during these COVID crisis times for this snake catcher.