Bitten many times, Haryana's Pawan Jogpal has rescued 5,600 snakes in ten years

For Pawan Jogpal from Haryana's Fatehabad district, catching snakes are child's play. The fact that he has been bitten ten times has not deterred him from making a livelihood of rescuing reptiles. It is something that he loves doing.

The 28-year-old man from Bhattu Kalan village said he has been rescuing snakes, which enter people's homes in the rural hinterland and other places, for nearly a decade. It is his full-time job now.

Till now, Jogpal claimed he has rescued more than 5,600 snakes so far. "The latest snake I rescued was a baby cobra, which was spotted in an open area near the venue of the Independence Day function in Fatehabad, where the chief minister was to unfurl the national flag," he said.

Rescuing snakes

Jogpal said he rescued many snakes who took shelter on trees during the recent floods which caused waterlogging in many areas. The rescued snakes are released in the forests, he said. "I have been rescuing snakes for more than 10 years now. Most of them are the ones which enter people's homes and gardens in villages," Jogpal said. Asked what prompted him to take up snake rescue as a full time job, he shared an anecdote.

Jogpal said when he was around 17 years old, a snake had entered his house in his village. He said even as the neighbours and other people gathered around trying to kill it, he was persuading them not to harm the creature. "I tried to rescue it, but in the meantime someone hit the snake and killed it. That incident left a deep impression on me. Later, I started watching the Discovery channel. First, I started rescuing small snakes. I read many books about snakes and gathered knowledge about them," he said.

"Now, I can handle snakes quite easily. So far, I have rescued more than 5,600 snakes. I have been bitten 10 times by snakes, including a cobra due to which I was hospitalised for two days. I was also bitten by a wolf snake, which was non-venomous," Jogpal said, adding that he also rescues monitor lizards or any bird which he finds injured.

Releasing rescued snakes in jungles

"People call me over phone and I reach there with my team and we rescue snakes and leave them in jungles," he said.

During recent floods, Indian rat snake (Ptyas Mucosa), cobras and some other snakes like common sand boa were found clinging on to the trees. They had taken shelter on the trees and shrubs as they could not be in water for long, he said, adding that he rescued 400 to 500 such snakes.

Jogpal said he has three more people who work for him in his team. "We carry special gloves, sticks, shoes, hook and other safety gear with us," he said. The Fatehabad district administration has also recognised the social service he and his team are doing and has honoured him in the past. At first, when he started rescuing snakes and took it up full-time, his family used to tell him not to do this. "But, now they are okay with what I love doing," he said.

Jogpal said he also tries to create awareness among people about snakes. "In our area, people don't kill snakes anymore. If they spot a snake, they call me and we rescue it. I tell people that snakes only attack in self-defence when they feel their life is in danger," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)