International Women’s Day: Meet some of Kerala’s certified female snake rescuers

Anushree Babu catches the cobra by its tail with her left hand. As the snake squirms to escape her grasp, she picks it up with the curved end of the stick she holds in her right hand, and carries it to a cloth bag with a pipe inside. The reptile mistakes it for a hole and immediately crawls into it. As soon as she closes the bag, the crowd starts clapping.

It’s a typical day at work for Anushree, a certified female snake rescuer from Kozhikode. She is one of the 140 women snake rescuers trained by the app, SARPA (Snake Awareness Rescue and Protection App), an initiative of the Forest Department of the Government of Kerala, which focuses on ‘reptile conservation while ensuring human safety’.

More than 3400 people have taken out licenses since its launch in 2020, of which 1500 are active. “It involves officials of the department, especially the Rapid Response Team (RRT) and people from different walks of life. These include teachers, students, daily wage laborers, taxi drivers, businessmen, lawyers, scientists, researchers etc. Although the field is male dominated, the number of women volunteers is increasing,” says Mohammad Anwar, state nodal officer, SARPA and assistant conservator, Biodiversity Cell.

Anyone between the age of 18 to 65 years can register with SARPA and receive training. “Even after training, they need guidance before going alone. It is a high-risk activity and hence they go with experienced handlers before becoming independent,” says Anwar.

SARPA was launched with the goal of zero deaths from snake bites. The state is home to 132 types of snakes, which fall into highly venomous, venomous and non-venomous categories. He further said, since its inception, more than 72,000 snakes have been rescued through SARPA.

Roshni GS, beat one officer of RRT, Paruthipalli, Thiruvananthapuram, is a face for snake rescue these days, thanks to the videos she posts every day on her social media accounts. The 39-year-old, who was recently honored with the Stree Shakti Puraskar 2025 by the Kerala Women’s Commission, grabbed everyone’s attention last year with the video in which she saved a 15-foot long king cobra. Among the millions who praised him were cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra, author-politician Shashi Tharoor and many celebrities. “I am the first woman in my department to have scientific training in snake rescue. When I joined the force in 2019, unlike now, reptile rescue training was not mandatory. But when an opportunity came to me I didn’t let it go. I have rescued more than 1,000 snakes so far. Since I am in the RRT, we also rescue other wild animals – elephants, Indian bison, tigers, bears, peacocks, deer, porcupines, Monkeys, civets and more,” she says.

While the King Cobra is rarely found in the open, the commonly seen varieties are Cobra, Russell Viper, Sand Boa, Wolf Snake, Krait, Trinket, Rat Snake etc.

The most senior among the volunteers is Kochi-based former primary school teacher and housewife Vidya Raju. Vidya, who has her roots in Bihar and is married to Commodore NVS Raju (Retd) in the Indian Navy, recalls that she developed an interest in it when her husband was posted at INS Mandovi, Goa, in the early 2000s. 2004 and I continued to do it whenever the need arose. After registering with SARPA in 2020, I realized that till then I was not following the scientific method, which ensures the safety of the rescuer and the reptile,” says Vidya. After getting the license, she has rescued more than 450 snakes, besides the same number of snakes she had rescued earlier also.

In the case of Savita Sudhi from Alappuzha, she answers the call while fulfilling her responsibilities as a three-time member of Chunakkara Panchayat. She is the first woman in the district to get a license. “Being a Panchayat member, I am often called to places where snakes are seen. That is why when the SARPA training was announced, I decided to participate in it. Also, it was open to all. However, I was not hopeful of getting the license as I was quite apprehensive about whether I would be able to successfully transport the snake in a cloth bag at the end of the training,” she says.

Talking about Anushree, due to living close to sacred groves since childhood, she has a special connection with snakes. “Sightings of snakes were common, even inside my house. Once my mother accidentally stepped on a baby cobra at night. When my parents got scared, I took a coconut shell ladle and put it in a glass bottle. That was my first snake rescue at age 10. That ability remained through my growing up years. But until I got a license, I never went to rescue outside my home.”

This led to his association with the Fire and Rescue office at Vellimadukunnu in the district as a civil defense volunteer. “Fellow officers knew I had rescued snakes and suggested I attend SARPA training.” His save number is 945 and counting.

Rescuers say the task involves more than just being brave. “You have to really love it and be aware of the risks,” says Roshni. Many women who were licensed in my department are no longer active due to professional and personal commitments. Must be ready to answer calls at any time of the day. I am obsessed with this work to such an extent that sometimes it becomes more important than my family. I enjoy working at night!

Rescuers are advised to wear shoes and pants/track pants and T-shirts while working. Savita explains, “If you are wearing salwar-kurta, then avoid dupatta. Wearing saree is strictly prohibited. It is better not to wear bangles or bangles as the snake can catch it with its tail while trying to escape.”

Rescuers unanimously say that SARPA has brought about a significant change in the mindset of people towards snakes. “Despite the innate fear, they don’t beat them to death. They inform us immediately, even if it is a rat snake, which is not poisonous,” says Vidya.

While cobras are a commonly seen species, vipers are dangerous because they can attack with great speed in any direction. Pythons are heavy, especially after a heavy meal. “When we hold it by the tail, it vomits the food to escape. Rat snakes, though non-venomous, bite you, which can be extremely painful,” says Roshni. And during mating season, you may find more than one snake by the time you reach the location.

A snake cannot always be rescued because sometimes it is perched in places inaccessible to a rescuer, such as small gaps between wall bricks or floor tiles. It is impractical to demolish the entire structure to get the reptile out.

Vidya says that she receives a lot of calls to save snakes, especially pythons, trapped in fishing nets. It is difficult to get them out by cutting the net; She says, this can also be quite dangerous.

All the women say that a woman saving snakes increases people’s curiosity. Vidya says, “But they are also respectful. Although I do not agree to get photographed with the snake.”

According to Anushree, some people prefer female rescuers over male ones. “Especially in households where there are only women. They find it comforting to have a woman around them.” Savita says that nowadays women come to her to know how she does rescue and are eager to accompany her when a rescue call comes.

Roshni is happy that the people who called her videos bad are now waiting for her. “I started doing this to reduce the fear of snakes, to keep people interested in them, and to make them understand how important they are in our food chain,” she says.

Some of these rescuers, including Vidya and Anushree, are teachers associated with Sarpa Padam, a snake-related awareness program of SARPA, under which classes are conducted in educational institutions. The department has a 70-member team to take classes through standardized power-point presentations. Classes are conducted for vulnerable sections such as people working under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme, farmers etc. who are at risk of snake bites.

“The role of snakes in the ecosystem, laws related to snakes, identification of snake varieties, precautions to keep snakes away, how to deal with snake bites, busting myths related to snakes etc. are dealt with in the sessions,” says Vidya.

Family support means a lot to these rescue workers. Vidya adds, “They are very happy with what I do; my grandson is very excited about my work.” While Anushree has inspired many people to take up training, including her 18-year-old daughter, Punyakirthi M, Savita has the support of her husband, Sudhi R, and her cousin, Harilal.

“We are involved in it knowing the risk involved. It is a service and though a request has been made for an insurance plan, there has been no result,” says Anushree.

These women have a sense of pride in their work. “I am happy to be able to do something for society in this life,” says Vidya.

Download SARPA and in case of snake sighting, contact the respective numbers in each district on the app.

| Video Credit: Special Arrangement