A friend from BNHS told me about a Herpetology camp. Didn't know when, didn't know where but it made me curious about attending. I've always been into wildlife. Have been at the butt end of "bird watcher"* jokes since a long time. Birds I can handle, there have been no reported deaths due to bird-bites. Snakes, of course, are different. And I guess, that's what makes them so special.
Slimy, cold blooded, limbless little creatures. They should be at the bottom of the food chain, right? But they are not, the primitive reptilians hunt the more agile warm blooded mammals. And they can kill what they can't eat. Scary stuff. And interesting. India is a strange country when it comes to snakes. I guess before IT became a fad, India was known as a land of Snake Charmers. We have a history and culture with snakes. We have legends and myths around them. We revere them, build temples for them, persecute them and if need comes to be - eat them.
Anyways, I digress. The herpetology camp - at a remote place called Hunsur (never heard of it) arranged by a guy called Gerry "as seen on TV" Martin . The flyer read
We will camp at a fruit orchard on the banks of a beautiful lake in Rathnapuri Village, Hunsur"Nature's mojo" :) . Dealing with difficult issues about nature does not mean we lose our sense of humour. I was in.
and learn about reptiles, amphibians, birds and insects that play a vital yet often understated
role in keeping Nature’s mojo intact. Here’s a great opportunity to learn and understand animal
behavior, develop field skills and explore different habitats.
I won't harp about what was so awesome about the 3 days at the camp. In short, it was awesome. The farm; the bamboo hatch we slept in; the foraging for snakes and insects at mid-night; the bon homie - all stuff I'll carry back with me from the camp. For me, handling the Cobras was secondary. What was important was the thought process about conserving these beauty that was kindled in people's mind.
Never in my life did I imagine I'll be looking for snakes. In a nallah. At mid-night. But we did. We caught two beautiful Keelbacks that helped us study the reptilian form. Holding them in my hand, they were no longer slimy, cold blooded creatures. A snake's body is the pinnacle of evolution. Optimized for motion and hunting. Such simple, complex creatures.
To end the camp, we had to bid farewell to the keelbacks. Me, holding one beautiful specimen set about to release it back in the wild. The sun glinted off it's long scaly body. I looked at it one last time before releasing it. And then it bit me.
The goddamn snake bit my finger. And am glad it did, it reminded me its a wild creature. And we need to ensure it stays wild.
* - The joke generally goes:
me - am into birdwatching
humourless idiot: hehe, which kind of birds
