: ‘Snake Man’ of Bihar Fights Superstition to Rescue 3000 Snakes 152 Animals #IndiaNEWS #Animal Welfare “Growing up in Dalsagar village of Bihar, I would notice that as monsoons approached, there

‘Snake Man’ of Bihar Fights Superstition to Rescue 3000 Snakes 152 Animals #IndiaNEWS #Animal Welfare
“Growing up in Dalsagar village of Bihar, I would notice that as monsoons approached, there would be several snakes around our mud homes. But as soon as the villagers would spot the reptiles, they would kill them,�? says Hariom Chaubey, an 18-year-old.

As he would later learn, every year 300 people in Buxar, Bihar, alone die as early intervention is not done following a snake bite. Hariom spent his youth helping the people of Bihar by performing snake rescues, and eventually even went on to set up an animal rescue centre that tended to domestic animals.

This is his story.

On observing the harsh treatment met out to the reptiles by the villagers, Hariom decided to save the reptile the next time it was at the mercy of someone.

Hariom Chaubey, Picture credits: Hariom Chaubey

“The first time I rescued a snake was when I was 12,�? he says, adding that he let it free in a talaab (lake) in the village, and would go see it every day. However, when Hariom’s family got wind of this, they were upset and discouraged the young boy from associating himself with snakes.

Then one birthday, Hariom had a visit from an uncle who lived in South India. On learning about the young boy’s passion for snakes, he gifted him a book titled ‘Snakes of India’.

“This was the best gift,�? recounts Hariom, saying that he ardently read and studied the book for four years. Through the descriptions and pictures, he learnt about reptiles, first aid for a bite, which snakes are venomous and how a snake could be rescued.

Contrary to his family’s opinion about the reptiles, Hariom believed they were harmless. He was certain that one needed to know how to handle them, and once again began his rescues.

Snake rescues soon turned into his side hustle.

Hariom Chaubey is fearless as he rescues snakes, Picture credits: Hariom Chaubey

“People had come to know about my fascination for rescuing snakes and in 2019, when I got my first phone, I began getting calls from the villagers asking me to come to help them get rid of the snakes that would be near their homes. �?

Recalling a frightening incident, Hariom says it was the time he rescued 35 cobras all from a single house. “It had started as one, and then that one had given birth to the many others. It was an infestation,�? he recounts.

However, he adds that despite his good work, society never understood him and always looked at him as a snake charmer. They even went on to tell his parents that he was performing an ‘unholy’ act.

In 2020, the blind beliefs of the villagers were only strengthened when a man in the village succumbed to a snake bite and died.