Irula snake catcher extracts Russell’s Viper’s venom with bare hands

Screen-grab showing a member of the Irula tribe extracting venom from a Russell’s viper in Tamil Nadu. Twitter/ @supriyasahuias

Snakes are considered one of the most frightening creatures on the planet. A single bite from some of the species is fatal. However, snake venom is also used in medical research. Wildlife conservators have long been concerned about the fact that snakes can be harmed when researchers extract their venom. Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Supriya Sahu has shared a video that shows how snake venom can be extracted without causing any harm to the reptile.

The Irula tribe, an ethnic group from Tamil Nadu, have been following the process for a long time with special permission from the Indian government. In the video, a snake catcher from the tribe can be seen holding a Russell’s viper with his bare hands and carefully drawing its venom into a glass container. The man performed the task without hurting the snake.

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Sahu explained in the caption, “Nothing less than fascinating to see Irula tribes extracting snake venom from snakes like cobra, Russell’s viper, krait etc without harming them. Venom is sold to pharma companies to make Anti Snake Venom. Set up in 1978 Irula Snake Catcher’s Society has 300 members.”

Since being uploaded, the 25-second-long clip has received over 7,000 views and hundreds of users have liked it so far. Apart from appreciating the Irula community, users also highlighted the risk factors in the process. Some of them stated that minimum safety measures should be followed while doing the procedure.

A viewer noted, “No minimum protection measures were followed.”

Another user urged the government to “promote as well as protect people of this (Irula) tribe.”

An individual wrote, “This may be risky sometime. Mass awareness is necessary.”

Here are some other reactions:

Irula snake catchers in the Chinglepet area have come together to form the Snake-Catchers’ Cooperative in order to catch snakes, extract and freeze-dry venom, and sell it to anti-venom-producing labs like the Haffkine Institute. After three extractions, the snakes are returned to the wild. The extension and development of the project was made possible by funding from the Tamil Nadu government.

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