Mangaluru (Karnataka): Snake catchers in Karnataka are all set be streamlined as the government plans to train them and give them identity cards. Deputy Conservator of Forest Dept Dr Y Dinesh Kumar said they have seen plenty of people catch snakes as a hobby. "Most of them catch snakes with their bare hands. In addition, some people do stunts with snakes and upload photos, videos on social media. In some cases, while performing stunts, the snakes bite them. This is unscientific action," he said.
Kumar said that people should be aware of the ways to tackle snakes and snake bites besides knowing when and where to release a a snake in case they succeed in catching one. "In some cases, they catch snakes but no one knows whether they have to release them into forests or not, whether the snake is poisonous. Therefore to identify professional snake catchers, we will issue ID cards to them and train them. WhatsApp Group will be created with their full details. Their movements will be monitored by GPS," he said.
