The Western civilization refers to India as the ‘Land of the Snake Charmers’. And, according to me, these breed of people had slipped into oblivion in the wake of the country-wide development in the later half of the twentieth century.
Hence, I was extremely surprised to see snake charmers sitting in front of the Pahadi Mandir at Ranchi with a male and female cobra respectively. Money is made when temple devotees offer cash in return for the cobra’s blessings. But, looking at the health of the snakes, I am pretty sure that this money is hardly spent on the snakes.
As a wildlife enthusiast, this experience made me unhappy. Snakes and especially the Cobras should be left in the wild and allowed to roam free and be wild. Instead, these poor creatures have been stripped of their main weapon, their poisonous fangs and are put inside a small wooden box. No wonder, the cobras are fast disappearing from India and the rest of the world.
It would be great if the Indian government/wildlife association roped in such skilled snake charmers and used their services for wildlife conservation and for rescuing snakes and letting them off in the wild.
I feel the same thing whenever i have happened upon any creature performing in captivity.
ReplyDeleteOnce we went to the aqua park at a supposed Eco Reservation on an island in the Caribbean - it was shameful: the size of a small pool that housed 6! dolphins and a seal. It literally made me sick with worry for the poor creatures.
I will actually be posting about this soon - regarding circuses and the like. :(* Why do people care more for $$ than for beautiful forms of life??