Above and right (video): The same group of
saperas previously encountered in Jaipur.
Notice how they seem to be paying scant
regard to the snakes. Image and video by
John & Lala McGrath.
had reminded me that I should
have obtained some video, so
there was an additional motive for
the search.
As luck would have it, there were
the same three pathetic individu-
als. My wife took some video,
and they again entreated me to
sit for photos, which I declined
since I had already done so a few
days earlier. Obviously thinking
that my refusal was based upon
some element of trepidation, they
quickly exclaimed, ‘No poison, no
poison!’
Any lingering doubt had been
removed; their snakes had been
butchered too.
A few days later, I asked Indian
herping legend Rom Whitaker
whether he believed it possible
that there any snake charmers
who did not mutilate their animals
as a safeguard to deprive them of
the ability to deliver a venomous
bite. He agreed that the cobra
was the ideal snake for the
purpose, if you were to depend
upon skill and training alone, but
thought it highly unlikely that
there were any ‘responsible’
saperas who did not disable the
venom-delivery apparatus in
some way.
Certainly, the claims from the
Bedia Federation that its
members would never harm their
snakes are unconvincing and
difficult to substantiate. In 2015,
Wildlife SOS in conjunction with
local police and the Indian Forest
Service confiscated a total of 33
snakes (27 of which were cobras)
from snake charmers during a
raid in the city of Agra. All were in
very poor condition, with stitched
mouths, broken fangs and
mutilated venom glands. So
whilst snake charming provides
an intriguing spectacle, and there
may be a temptation to believe
there is some genuine interaction
between sapera and snake, the
inescapable truth is that it is
almost certainly always based
upon an ‘insurance policy’ of
removing the venom by crude
acts of cruelty. I have to admit to
being disappointed that this was
borne out by my research,
especially since, ironically, it
need not be the case. Few will
mourn the demise of the last
performing saperas, however,
this will undoubtedly also result in
prolonged hardship for a large
group of people unskilled in any
other vocation.
Further Reading.
http://
www.npr.org/2011/08/08/139086119/in-
india-snake-charmers-are-losing-their-
sway
https://www.egofelix.com/truth-behind-
snake-charming/
http://wildlifesos.org/blog/taking-the-
charm-out-of-snake-charming/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=xXTuLJ9MJvE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=G4EIEnIidjc
https://www.treehugger.com/corporate-
responsibility/snake-charmers-protest-for-
their-right-of-tradition.html
https://www.dawn.com/news/735840
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/
worldnews/asia/india/4601043/Indias-
snake-charmers-form-union-to-defy-
ban.html