Snake Charmers Protest In India (PHOTOS)

Thousands of snake charmers held a protest in India today to demand the right to perform with live snakes, AFP reports.

An estimated 5,000 charmers from all over West Bengal took to the streets of the state capital, denouncing wildlife protection laws that proscribe the commercial use of wild animals, including performances with live snakes.

Since the laws were fully implemented in the late 1990s, the estimated 800,000 snake charmers in India -- 100,000 in West Bengal alone -- say they have effectively been deprived of their livelihood.

"It's our birth right to charm snakes. No can deprive us of that," said Langra Bede, 35, who has suffered two cobra bites in his charming career.

A union representing snake charmers has called for the government to legalize the practice of performing with the creatures, the AP reports.

Raktim Das, general secretary of the charmers federation, told reporters on the sidelines of the protest in Calcutta that the government should make the traditional performances legal again.

And it should set up serum farms where charmers could use their expertise in handling snakes to extract venom for medical use, he added.

The Telegraph reports that about 20,000 Indian snake charmers are now behind bars because of the ban.

"Having lived with the reptiles since childhood, the snake-charmers know only one vocation, that is handling snakes and holding public shows, but strong measures adopted by police and forest department for the last decade or so have put them in a difficult situation," said union's leader, Raktim Das.

Check out these photos from the protest:

AP

AFP

AP

Comments

[BurtR]

09:07 AM on 02/26/2009

just howdoes someone survive a cobra bite?
When I was in the Peace Corps I was in Bangalore once and I asked a snake charmer where he got his snakes and he told me that he went to the main public park. I would rather have thechrmers have them than them slithering around in the park.
Snake charmers are an ancient and, unfortunately, very low caste who would be ostracized from other forms of work and society. Bear dancers are in a similar situation. Remnants of the past.

[xriv]

11:32 PM on 02/17/2009

Pathetic India!

[Kaviraj]

07:30 AM on 02/18/2009

Pathetic American!!!

[Libertarian78]

12:52 PM on 02/18/2009

Dude, he is not American .... he is P@kistani.

[vwoom]

08:17 PM on 02/17/2009

Have the snakesssssssssss unionizessssssssssssssss...........

[sinope]

06:27 PM on 02/17/2009

GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT BEFORE THEY UNLEASH A DEADLY WAVE OF CHARMED SNAKES UPON US!

[Scherzo]

05:39 PM on 02/17/2009

The issue isn't explained. Are the snakes in danger of being exterminated? Are they being handled in a cruel way? Are the handlers being deprived of their only viable way of making a living? What are the issues?

[kid5rivers2]

05:26 PM on 02/17/2009

Not to deprive any of the seriousness of the issue -that India has it to do when trying to open up sustainable and meaningful economic opportunities for its millions and millions of poor- but, in the wild, it'd be the snakes that strike.

[research]

05:19 PM on 02/17/2009

The Gov should have gradually applied regulator conditions on the the use of snakes in performances: tests, surprise inspections, Licensing.

Then over the years they could limit the number of licenses.

[Joethepauper]

02:55 PM on 02/17/2009

If they would set-up a breeding farm and stop taking snakes out of their natural habitat, fine. They are already causing the extinction of the Bengal tiger, and now they're on to snakes A few hundred years from now, this planet's zoology will consist of humans, chickens, cows, and pigs. Just us and a few token edible animals. I'm sure these guys could find a job in India (previously held by an American), besides snake charming.

[bubbuh]

03:14 PM on 02/17/2009

PETA swoop down on them for snake rape.

[freakmind]

05:23 PM on 02/17/2009

Your assurances of the situation of people on the other side of the world have a truly calming and sobering effect on us all.

Snake charming is obviously a huge part of their life, not just professional, it's considered a birth right. It seems spiritual. Their society is so different from ours, your assurances just seem uneducated and irrelevant.

I do agree that if they want to do it though, it should probably snake farms

[whataretheysmoking]

06:43 PM on 02/17/2009

snake-charming may be a huge part of their lives, but not a huge part of the lives of the common indian. the government is putting in place and enforcing rules to protect certain species of snakes and other wildlife. these guys can unionise and protest all they want, but truly, they need to acquire a different set of skills. a lot of it has to do with caste. this occupation is practised by certain castes who pass it down.

the government should probably get them some training in some other field.

[monstabunny]

02:51 PM on 02/17/2009

Wait - they're unionized?

[bubbuh]

03:13 PM on 02/17/2009

Since the beginnings of the "guilded age" about 1500 years ago.

[SenecaV]

05:25 PM on 02/17/2009

India is a far lefti "liberal" country. They unionize everything. Thats why its practically impossible to do do anything big in India like what China is doing.

India needs a good dictatorship like China for about 40 years to clean up the mess setby the liberal lefty congress government that has ruled India 85% of the time since independence.

[JohnDewey]

05:33 PM on 02/17/2009

I think your Thorazine suppository has worn off. Time for another!

[whataretheysmoking]

06:44 PM on 02/17/2009

typical american response. brag about your own "freedom" and recommend dictatorships for others.

[NYC07]

02:35 PM on 02/17/2009

They should go to Washington DC there are plenty of snakes there. They can ask for assistance from the local snake charmers on "K" Street.

[whataretheysmoking]

06:40 PM on 02/17/2009

LOL