Snake charming has marked its existence since ancient Egypt. In traditional snake charming, the snake represents evil and the snake charmer would flaunt his skills at taming the snake with the melodious tunes of his musical instrument. The most bewildering fact is that snakes do not have visible ears or eardrums; they sense vibrations alongside their jaws.[1] Although it may seem as if the snake is ‘dancing’ or swaying to the melodious tunes played by their handlers, in fact they are only responding to the movements of the charmer’s folk instrument called a been, known also as the pungi.[2]

Brutality behind the scenes

Snakes are revered creatures in India, but ironically, the scenes behind snake charming does not paint such a pretty picture.  The King Cobra and the Indian Cobra are the most commonly seen snakes in snake charming and are poached from the wild and packed tightly into wicker baskets. Liked for its iconic, majestic hood, they grace the amused crowd with their presence by uncurling and slowly rearing up into a prideful stance while assuming a threatening position with their menacing hood. The snake charmers continue to play their flute and somewhat trance the snake in return for money from the often impressed but naive crowd.

Snake charming can also be observed during the Hindu festival of Nag Panchami, held in honour of the Serpent God, Naag Devta, where people gather to worship and celebrate the snake god. In Sanskrit, 'Nag' means snake and people worship the snake god to protect their families from the evil. According to mythology, a deadly snake 'Kalia' had been poisoning the waters of the Yamuna, making it difficult for the brijwasis (residents of Brij in Uttar Pradesh), to drink the water. Lord Krishna (an avatar of Lord Vishnu) destroyed Kalia and the snake god was forced to take back the poison from the river. Krishna had blessed him and said, people who pray and offer milk to the snake god on Nag Panchami will always be protected from the evil[3].

Milk, rice, coins and flowers are forms of offerings made to the snakes in return for their blessings. Others go as far as to bathe the snake’s hood in milk, despite the scientific fact that snakes are not able to digest milk.[4] The exploited snakes are starved for days and even months on end, up until the day of the festival where they are forced to consume large quantities of milk. Their inability to properly digest milk cause them to try expel the liquid, which results in both dehydration and allergic reactions, and often death.[5]

The charm in this practice often comes from the fact that at any stage, a snake charmer may be bitten or spat on by one of the most venomous animals in the world. However, much like the dance of the snake, the danger is but a charade, as many of the snakes have their venom sacs extracted through gorging or puncturing, as well as being defanged in order to prevent a deadly bite. Some extremists even go so far as to sew the snake’s mouth shut, leaving them completely bereft of the ability to defend themselves. Such brutal methods of dentistry hamper the snake’s ability to feed and digest, resulting in serious health issues such as regurgitation, malnourishment and fungal infection. Needless to say, these defenceless snakes eventually succumb to their injuries through a slow and excruciating death.

The reality is that by the time the cobra is ready to beguile the crowd with its mystical oscillation, they are far too weak to pose a threat to anybody. After the snakes no longer perform to the ability or standard of their charmers, they are cruelly abandoned or sold to snake skin dealers.[6]

Approach

According to the Indian Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972, it is illegal to capture snakes to exploit them for business purposes or even to own them without a license. Anyone found violating the law faces a considerable fine and imprisonment up to seven years[7].

Initially, the government did not enforce the ban, and snake charmers carried on with their work. But a few years later, animal rights activist pressured authorities to clampdown on snake charmers. The ban affected an estimated 800,000 snake charmers living in India. Many switched to other occupations, like rickshaw pulling, street vending and working as construction and agricultural labourers. But an overwhelming majority remain jobless. Some, however, refuse to give up the tradition.

In order to ensure strict compliance with the law, every year during the holy month of Shravan, the Agra based anti-poaching team at Wildlife SOS and the Uttar Pradesh Furthermore, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has urged snake charmers to end the exploitation of real snakes, and to instead use plastic and wooden snakes. [8] [9]

Basava Kendra, a religious organisation in Shivamogga runs an awareness programme[10] to educate the public on the harmful effects milk has on snakes. Two days prior to Nag Panchami, milk is distributed to children in schools, instead of snakes in the hope of raising awareness to the physical harm it causes if injected by these reptiles. [11] In recent year, there has been an emerging trend in both protecting snakes from harm as well as cracking down on illegal snake charming.

Fortunately, due to the stringent enforcement of wildlife legislation, snake charming is dwindling in numbers. It is hoped that as more people understand and become aware of the harm suffered by snakes, the ancient (and perhaps outdated) practice of snake charming may lose its charm completely.  

Courtesy of Amelia Wang.

References

[1] "Do Snakes Have Ears? | Live Science." 7 Nov. 2012, https://www.livescience.com/32252-do-snakes-have-ears.html.

[2] "Behind the Scenes Brutality: Snake Charming - One Green ...." 28 Jun. 2018, https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/behind-scenes-brutality-snake-charming/.

[3] https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/nag-panchami-2020-date-significance-muhurat-vrat-and-all-you-need-to-know-about-it-2266476

 [4] "truth behind nag panchami ! - Animal Rehabilitation ...." 8 Aug. 2013, http://www.arpfindia.org/blog/truth-behind-nag-panchami.

[5] "Is Nag Panchami Just Another Form Of Animal Cruelty In The ...." 19 Aug. 2015, https://www.scoopwhoop.com/inothernews/nag-panchami-worshipping-snakes/.

[6] "Nag Panchami not just about snake worship, but ... - Firstpost." 6 Feb. 2017, http://www.firstpost.com/india/nag-panchami-not-just-about-snake-worship-but-subjecting-the-object-of-veneration-to-needless-agony-death-3268816.html.

[7] "Snake charmers in India lament loss of culture following ...." http://fsrn.org/2017/04/snake-charmers-in-india-lament-loss-of-culture-following-outlawing-of-their-practice/.

[8] "Use Fake Snakes on Naag Panchami - Blog - PETA India." https://www.petaindia.com/blog/use-fake-snakes-naag-panchami/.

[9] "Use fake snakes on Nag Panchami: PETA to ... - Zee News." 21 Jul. 2012, https://zeenews.india.com/news/eco-news/use-fake-snakes-on-nag-panchami-peta-to-snake-charmers_788919.html. Accessed 20 Jul. 2020.

[10] "Shivamogga: Basava Kendra holds awareness ... - ANI News." https://www.aninews.in/news/national/politics/shivamogga-basava-kendra-holds-awareness-program-ahead-of-naga-panchami20190804133410.

[11] "Nag Panchami 2019: Karnataka Basava Kendra's Programme ...." 5 Aug. 2019, https://www.news18.com/news/india/nag-panchami-2019-karnataka-basava-kendras-programme-reveals-why-snakes-should-not-be-fed-milk-2258335.html.