Once bitten, twice "not" shy! Snakes may rattle many but rescuing the reptiles is a child's play for Pawan Jogpal from Haryana's Fatehabad district, who is undeterred even after being bitten 10 times.
The 28-year-old man from Bhattu Kalan village said he has been rescuing snakes, which enter people's homes in the rural hinterland and other places, for nearly a decade now.
Jogpal claimed he has rescued more than 5,600 snakes and has been bitten 10 times so far.
"The latest snake I rescued was a baby cobra, which was spotted in an open area near the venue of the Independence Day function in Fatehabad, where the chief minister was to unfurl the national flag," he said.
Jogpal said he rescued many snakes who took shelter on trees during the recent floods which caused waterlogging in many areas.
The rescued snakes are released in the forests, he said.
"I have been rescuing snakes for more than 10 years now. Most of them are the ones which enter people's homes and gardens in villages," Jogpal said.
Asked what prompted him to take up snake rescue as a full time job, he shared an anecdote.
Jogpal said when he was around 17 years old, a snake had entered his house in his village.
He said while the neighbours and other people gathered there tried to kill it, he was persuading them not to harm the creature.
"I tried to rescue it, but in the meantime someone hit the snake and killed it. That incident left a deep impression on me. Later, I started watching the Discovery channel. First, I started rescuing small snakes. I read many books about snakes and gathered knowledge about them," he said.
"Now, I can handle snakes quite easily. So far, I have rescued more than 5,600 snakes. I have been bitten 10 times by snakes, including a cobra due to which I was hospitalised for two days. I was also bitten by a wolf snake, which was non-venomous," Jogpal said.
He said he also rescues monitor lizards or any bird which he finds injured.
"People call me over phone and I reach there with my team and we rescue snakes and leave them in jungles," he said.
During recent floods, Indian rat snake (Ptyas Mucosa), cobras and some other snakes like common sand boa were found clinging on to the trees. They had taken shelter on trees and shrubs as they could not be in water for long. And I rescued 400 to 500 such snakes, he said.
Jogpal said he has three more people who work for him in his team.
"We carry special gloves, sticks, shoes, hook and other safety gear with us," he said.
He said the Fatehabad district administration has also recognised the social service he and his team are doing and has honoured him in the past.
"In the beginning, when I started rescuing snakes and took it up as fulltime thing, my family used to tell me not to do this. But now they are okay with what I love doing," he said.
Jogpal said he also tries to create awareness among people about snakes.
"In our area, people don't kill snakes anymore. If they spot a snake, they call me and we rescue it. I tell people that snakes only attack in self defence when they feel their life is in danger," he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
