التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
| العنوان: |
Challenges in rescuing snakes to protect human lives and promote snake conservation in Tamil Nadu, India. |
| المؤلفون: |
Salim, Anika, Williams, Jarred, Almeida, Jose R., Chandrasekharuni, Gnaneswar, Williams, Harry F., Vaiyapuri, Rajendran, Vaiyapuri, Mohanraj, Viswanath, Rajan, Annamalai, Thanigaivel, Patel, Ketan, Thirumalaikolundusubramanian, Ponniah, Senthilkumaran, Subaramanian, Whitaker, Romulus, Vaiyapuri, Sakthivel |
| المصدر: |
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases; 9/17/2024, Vol. 18 Issue 9, p1-17, 17p |
| مصطلحات موضوعية: |
IDENTIFICATION cards, SUBURBS, FOREST reserves, HEALTH insurance, SNAKES, SNAKEBITES |
| مستخلص: |
Background: Human-snake conflicts are common worldwide, often resulting in snakebites. Snakebite envenoming causes over 125,000 deaths and 400,000 permanent disabilities worldwide every year. India alone accounts for an average of ~58,000 annual snakebite-induced deaths. As human developments rapidly expand into suburban and rural areas, snakes are being displaced and incidences of residents finding snakes within their dwellings are increasing. Most people have an innate fear of snakes, compounded by centuries of negative influence from culture and mythology manifesting in people often attempting to kill snakes. Snake rescuers are volunteers who remove and relocate snakes to safe areas. This is a risky job that poses potentially fatal implications if bitten. These volunteers mostly receive no financial compensation for their time or transportation costs, but they choose to do it for their love of snakes, conservation, and for the altruistic nature of helping others. Snake rescuers often receive no formal training and are unfunded resulting in removing snakes improperly without adequate safety equipment or the required skill set to safely complete the task. Therefore, it is critical to determine their challenges and requirements to promote the safe rescue of snakes while protecting human lives. Methodology/Principal findings: In this study, we developed an online questionnaire and interviewed 152 snake rescuers in Tamil Nadu, India following written informed consent to determine their challenges and needs for rescuing snakes safely. The results demonstrate that most rescuers are males, and they conduct snake rescues for varying lengths of time. They mostly receive no formal training and are bitten by snakes. They spend their own money on the purchase of snake-handling equipment and on treatments if bitten or injured during a rescue. Conclusions/Significance: 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. Author summary: Snakebite envenoming is a high-priority neglected tropical disease that largely affects poor, rural communities living in developing countries. Human-snake conflicts are a key trigger for snakebites, and they occur mainly due to urbanisation and the rise in pest populations leads to the migration of snakes into human-dominated environments. The removal of snakes and release of them into safe habitats is critical in mitigating the snakebite crisis and saving snakes. Snake rescuers play important roles in saving snakes and humans by safely removing snakes and often educating communities about the dangers of snakes and appropriate dos and don'ts for snakebites. However, they face numerous challenges in rescuing snakes and most of their issues have not been brought to the attention of relevant authorities. In this study, we interviewed 152 snake rescuers in Tamil Nadu and highlighted their experiences, challenges and requirements in performing this task. The data demonstrate that most rescuers need certified training, recognition and identity cards from the government authorities, financial support for purchasing snake handling equipment and medical insurance for treatments if bitten by snakes and encouragement for them to be educators for snake conservation and snakebite mitigation. This study highlights the key challenges in rescuing snakes and appropriate recommendations to promote the safe rescue of snakes and the peaceful coexistence of snakes and humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
|
Copyright of PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases is the property of Public Library of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| قاعدة البيانات: |
Complementary Index |
Full Text Finder