Nepalese Snakes in High Demand for Poison

I am afraid of snakes and who is not? Frankly, I want to stay as far as possible from this animal and since I live in a big, I rare come across to it. However, some people are fond of snakes and snake charmers depend on this animal for their livelihood. Well, the charmers normally play with it entertain the crowd in almost all parts of South Asia including Nepal. However, the charmers have got a new way of earning money: catching and then selling snakes. In fact, many charmers from India have gone to Eastern part of Nepal for this matter.

Snake poison is a widely used ingredient in traditional medicine in India and China. That is why, there is a huge demand for this animal. I am sure that it is not a legal thing but while there is money there is a lot of people to risk bending the law. I wish that both Indian and Nepalese governments do something about this matter very soon.

At the beginning of the entry, I stated that I do not like snakes. However, I understand the matter that this creature has important contribution in maintaining natural balance.

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(This entry was originally uploaded on May 2009.)