Challenges in rescuing snakes to protect human lives and promote snake conservation in Tamil Nadu, India
The rescuers highlighted the urgent need for formal training, safety equipment and standard protocols for rescuing snakes in Tamil Nadu. Overall, this study demonstrates that snake rescuing should be appropriately regulated by the authorities, in particular the Wildlife Division of State Forest Departments in India, and formal training along with necessary equipment, medical insurance and appropriate recognition should be provided to them to safely remove snakes from human dwellings and manage the safety of both snakes and humans. They can also act as educators to disseminate information about the preventive and first aid measures for snakebites as well as the ecological importance of snakes.
Authors
- Jarred Williams (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4647-1399)
- Ketan Patel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7131-749X)
- Anika Salim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8865-1243)
- Ponniah Thirumalaikolundusubramanian (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1814-8743)
- Sakthivel Vaiyapuri (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6006-6517)
- Rajendran Vaiyapuri
- Harry F. Williams (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5095-3131)
- Mohanraj Vaiyapuri
- Romulus Whitaker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8263-9139)
- Gnaneswar Chandrasekharuni
- José R. Almeida (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4637-4468)
- Rajan Viswanath
- Thanigaivel Annamalai
- Subaramanian Senthilkumaran
Institutions
- Madurai Medical College (IN)
- Periyar Maniammai Institute of Science & Technology (IN)
- Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University (IN)
- Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (IN)
- Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (IN)
- University of Reading (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- PLoS neglected tropical diseases
- Published
- 2024-09-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0012516
- Primary Topic
- Venomous Animal Envenomation and Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Medical Research Council