Domestication Of Snakes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snakes have never failed to ignite a feeling of inquisitiveness in human beings. Though the thought of even domestication of snakes may give a jolt to some people, it is true that man has tried to domesticate snakes from the very beginning of his existence in the world, not only for the purpose of getting to know them better but also for finding various ways to put them into useful purposes.

In the olden times, this job was mainly undertaken by snake charmers who used to teach the snakes certain tricks, like dancing to the tune of the flute(though the movement of the flute as sensed by the snake is mainly responsible for the graceful movement of its hood). These tricks played an important role in attracting people towards them and in turn helped the snake charmers to earn some money. This practice has become mostly obsolete except in some third world countries, where snake tricks are still used as a medium of income generation by some poor snake charmers. The place of snake charmers has been taken up nowadays by herpetologists who catch snakes mainly to carry out extensive research on the venom extracted from them (to find alternate treatment procedures for many diseases and ailments) or to study their living as well as mating habits. Snakes have thus come to the fore front in some fields of medical research and curing possibilities.

Despite that the idea of teaching snakes some simple tricks may give nightmares to many and even impossible to a certain extent, the reality is quite different. In fact, snakes can be taught various simple tricks quite easily. In the case of poisonous snakes, however, it is always advisable to take help from a person who has some expertise in the field.

Domestication of snakes can also meet certain objectives towards the proper conservation of snakes. It is a true fact that many species of snakes are facing extinction due to irrational hunting of snakes for their hide and various other body parts that are used mainly for spiritual purposes. The white python which was once found in abundance in certain parts of the world, has now become almost rare because of its shiny and attractive hide and because of its inability to properly camouflage itself in the changing atmospheric and surrounding conditions. The existence of these snakes has come under grave danger and the only way that they can find a way to live in the future is in captivity.

The other important aspect of keeping snakes in captivity is for displaying them in order to enable the future generations to harbour respect for snakes and think them to be a part of nature’s creation just as we are. This will go a long way in conservation of the snake species without whom the entire ecological balance of the world will get disturbed. It is thus of extreme importance to grow a feeling of understanding for snakes so that humans and snakes can lead a life of peaceful co-existence.

Tags: Snake Charmers, Snake Training, Teaching Snakes

Category: Articles About Snakes, General