In some parts of the
world, especially in India, snake charming is a roadside show
performed by a charmer. In such a show, the snake charmer
carries a basket that contains a snake that he seemingly
charms by playing tunes from his flute-like musical
instrument, to which the snake responds. Snakes lack external
ears, though have internal ears. However, snakes show no
tendency to be influenced by music.
Researchers have
pointed out that many of these snake charmers are good
sleight-of-hand artists. The snake moves correspondingly to
the flute movement and the vibrations from the tapping of the
charmer's foot, neither of which is noticed by the public.
Charmers rarely catch their snakes and the snakes are either
nonvenomous or defanged cobras. Other snake charmers also have
a snake and mongoose show, where both the animals have a mock
fight; however, this is not very common, as the snakes, as
well as the mongooses, may be seriously injured or
killed.
Snake charming as a
profession is now discouraged in India as a contribution to
forest and snake conservation. In fact, in some places in
India snake charming is banned by law.
Snake
trapping
The tribals of "Irulas"
from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in India have been
hunter-gatherers in the hot dry plains forests and have
practiced this art for generations. They have a vast knowledge
of snakes in the field. Irulas generally catch the snakes with
the help of a simple stick. Earlier, the Irulas caught
thousands of snakes for the snakeskin industry. After the
complete ban on snakeskin industry in India and protection of
all snakes under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972,
they formed the Irula Snake Catcher's Cooperative and switched
to catching snakes for removal of venom, releasing them in the
wild after four extractions. The venom so collected is used
for producing life-saving antivenin, biomedical research and
for other medicinal products. The Irulas are also known to eat
some of the snakes they catch and are very useful in rat
extermination in the villages.
Despite the existence
of snake charmers, there have also been professional snake
catchers or wranglers. Modern day snake trapping involves a
herpetologist using a long stick with a "V" shaped end. Some
like Bill Haast, Austin Stevens, and Jeff Corwin prefer to
catch them using bare hands.
Consumption of snakes
While not commonly
thought of as a dietary item by most cultures, in some
cultures, the consumption of snakes is acceptable, or even
considered a delicacy, prized for its alleged pharmaceutical
effect of warming the heart. Western cultures document the
consumption of snakes under extreme circumstances of hunger.
Cooked rattlesnake meat is an exception, which is commonly
consumed in parts of the Midwestern United States. In Asian
countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, and Cambodia, drinking
the blood of snakes, particularly the cobra, is believed to
increase sexual virility. The blood is drained while the cobra
is still alive when possible, and is usually mixed with some
form of liquor to improve the taste.
In some Asian
countries, the use of snakes in alcohol is also accepted. In
such cases, the body of a snake or several snakes is left to
steep in a jar or container of liquor. It is claimed that this
makes the liquor stronger (as well as more expensive). One
example of this is the Habu snake sometimes placed in the
Okinawan liquor Awamori also known as "Habu Sake".
Snakes as
pets
In the Western world some snakes,
especially docile species such
as the ball python and corn snake, are kept as
pets. To supply this demand a captive breeding industry has developed. Snakes
bred in captivity tend to make better pets
and are considered preferable to wild caught specimens. See
my Snakes As Pets
page
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