Man Rescues Over 3,000 Snakes, Advocates for Conservation

Kathmandu

Kathmandu. As a child, he was afraid of snakes, he would run away. There was a tendency in the village to kill snakes saying they bite. He himself had seen many people kill snakes with spears. Yes, Yam Rawat of Salyan, upon reaching Pokhara for studies, finally understood the importance of snakes. Then his perception about snakes changed.

While studying undergraduate at the Institute of Forestry (IOF) in Pokhara, Yam became curious about snakes. Seniors in college used to go to houses to rescue snakes. They would explain the importance and necessity of snakes for the environment to others. Yam, who had seen snakes being killed in Salyan, found it strange to see a campaign to save snakes in Pokhara.

From then on, unknowingly, his interest turned in this direction. Nowadays, when a snake enters someone's house, he gets a call, and he rushes to rescue it. He makes people aware.

Yam, who moved to Bansgadhi, Bardiya with his family from Salyan at the age of 7, has rescued more than 3,000 snakes so far. Besides snakes, he has also released crocodiles, spotted deer, wild boars, etc., that strayed into villages, into the forest.

There are 84 species of snakes found in Nepal. Among them, the snakes he has rescued are of 12 species.

Yam has provided awareness training on the importance of snakes and rescue methods in more than one hundred places across the country. He has trained more than 3,000 people, including Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Forest Rangers, community forest employees, and municipality employees.

Yam, who was once afraid of snakes, is now afraid of cameras. He does not like to be in the media or in the limelight. He, who used to hesitate to talk to people, now happily shares information about snakes.

After giving the SLC exam, he stayed in Nashik city in Maharashtra state of India for some time. Later, he returned and continued his studies in Nepal.

In his second year of undergraduate studies, Yam passed the Public Service Commission exam. In 2017, he became a ranger and went to Shuklaphanta. In the 5 years he stayed there, he rescued a thousand snakes alone. During that stay, he learned many things including wildlife crime control, study, and research.

Most people are afraid of snakes. But Yam is fascinated by snakes. According to him, the interesting facts and behaviors of snakes may seem strange to others.

According to his study, blind snakes have eyes but cannot see. Some species of snakes have such powerful eyesight that they can easily see distant objects. Some are very skilled at imitation, they pretend to be dead. Some look very gentle. Some snakes sleep during the day and are active at night. Some do not need a male to lay eggs or give birth. Blind snakes have a sensor between their eyes and nostrils that acts like a thermal biological camera. It easily detects the distance and size of the animal in front of it. Similarly, vipers can detect and attack any animal with a higher body temperature than themselves. The more venomous a snake is, the lazier it is. That venom incapacitates others.

Venom is very important for every snake. Just as humans use saliva to digest food, snakes use venom to swallow and digest food. Snakes do not have saliva.

Some species of snakes, especially pythons, kill their prey before eating it. They do not have venom fangs. But venomous snakes swallow their prey whole, they do not wait for the attacked animal to die. Snakes have different fangs for swallowing and injecting venom.

Human-Snake Conflict

There is an ongoing human-snake conflict. Venomous snakes kill goats, sheep, and bite people. Some eat, swallow, and kill chickens. Humans also kill snakes.

There is a law that provides 1 million rupees in compensation for killing a person and 200,000 rupees for an attack by a tiger. Similarly, there is a rule for the government to provide compensation for attacks or killings by elephants. However, no compensation is given when a snake bite causes death or illness. He is of the opinion that the law should be amended regarding this.

Due to climate change, the temperature has increased. Snakes are seen more than before. Snakes also eat snakes, frogs, insects, and spotted deer. They maintain balance in the ecosystem by eating each other.

Various Importance of Snakes

Snakes have many important roles. From environmental balance to cultural and religious significance. Materials like purses and belts are made from snake skin. Snake venom is useful for treating heart disease and as painkillers. Medicines made from snake venom are needed to treat snakebite victims. Cobra venom is widely used for medicine. Similarly, viper venom is used to stop bleeding.

Snakes play a significant role in biodiversity. Snakes help balance the ecosystem by eating insects that affect crops.

'Some people ask humans to leave snakes not in the forest but near their homes.' Yam shares his experience, 'Indians buy snakes from Nepal for up to 80,000 to 90,000 rupees. They use sn