GUWAHATI: A two-day snake rescuer training workshop got underway in Kokrajhar on Wednesday, July 16, marking World Snake Day and bringing together some of the most experienced snake handlers in the state.
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Organised under the SERPENT Assam initiative, the programme has drawn around 30 seasoned rescuers from across Assam along with 20 frontline staff of the Bodoland Forest Department, making it one of the largest such gatherings in the region.
The workshop is being jointly run by the Forest Department, the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Help Earth, with support from the HCL Foundation. James Basumtary, Executive Member for Forests in the Bodoland Territorial Council, presided over the opening session and released two new resources for the public, a booklet on the snakes of Bodoland and a guide on reducing conflict between people and snakes.
The stakes are high. India records nearly 58,000 snakebite deaths a year on average, many of them in rural homes during the monsoon, and Bodoland's mix of grasslands, farmland and forest fringes puts species like the spectacled cobra and Russell's viper close to where people actually live and work.
Over two days, rescuers are learning to identify species correctly, handle snakes safely, choose proper release sites and document every case, moving away from the informal, often risky rescues that are still common in many villages. They are also being trained on SERPENT, a new app meant to connect rescuers into one coordinated network and standardise how incidents are reported.
The workshop wraps up on July 17 with assessments, certificates and a conversation about scaling the initiative further across Assam.