Snake menace rises amid continuous monsoon rains

By Chhabilal Pandey,Butwal, July 15: With continuous rainfall, snake terror has increased in Rupandehi district. Snakes have come out from the ground seeking dry areas, keeping snake rescuers extremely busy.

Saru Kanchha, a snake rescuer from Panbari of Sainamaina Municipality-10, is busy rescuing snakes. Not just rat snakes but also venomous snakes have come out of the ground and have entered many houses, creating terror among the people.

Like Kanchha, Chetan Bahadur Saru from Jhamjhamiya in the same ward is also busy rescuing snakes. They work not only during the daytime but are also available for villagers at night upon a single call.

Since the beginning of the summer, Kanchha has rescued and released over 40 venomous snakes, including cobras and kraits, into the forest within three months. He also received money from people for rescuing snakes. Instead of using the money for personal expenditure, he has been using it to help cancer patients, postpartum women and children.

Kanchha said that once he was bitten by a cobra while rescuing it and barely survived. He said, "I may die, but I will not quit this work." Popular as a snake rescuer, Kancha is also known as a social worker.

He said, "Catching snakes is certainly a dangerous task. If bitten, it can be fatal. But if my small help can benefit others, I am ready to take the risk." He mostly releases the rescued snakes into nearby forests. 

Dr. Netra Rana, information officer at the Lumbini Provincial Hospital in Butwal, said that snakebite patients had increased with the onset of summer and monsoon. Stating that the hospital received snakebite patients ranging from young children to the elderly daily, he said that prompt hospital treatment after a snakebite highly increases the chances of survival. He said that due to increased public awareness, more snakebite victims were coming to the hospital immediately, resulting in a significant decrease in fatalities.