How This Tamil Nadu Tribal Community Has Made a Business Out of Snake Venom

Every year the number of people in India who die from a snakebite ranges from 81,000 to 1,38,000. And the only thing that can impede death is a potent antivenom. Did you know that a major portion of India’s anti-venom stock traces back to a tribe in Tamil Nadu? The Irula tribe is one of India’s oldest indigenous communities that is exceptionally adept at handling snakes.

Their expertise in reptiles and venom collection acumen cast them into the spotlight. 

However, this also made them victim to certain scams. The people of the Irula tribe were deceived into procuring snake skins — lucrative for the fashion industry — that were sold illegally. The Indian Wildlife Protection Act (1972) came as a relief to this illicit trade. But this also put a damper on the tribe’s livelihood. 

Respite came in the form of help from herpetologist Romulus Whitaker, who aided the establishment of the Irula Snake Catchers Industrial Cooperative Society (ISCICS) in 1978. The cooperative has risen to the ranks of India's largest producer of snake venom. But venom collection is just a part of the collective’s overarching aim of sustainable employment. 

Rajendra, a member of the Irula tribe, elaborated on the process of venom tapping.  Once tracked down, the venomous snakes — think cobras, kraits, Russell’s vipers and saw-scaled vipers — are settled into clay pots that are half-filled with sand. Each pot houses two snakes. 

The mouth of the pot, Rajendra explains, is sealed with a porous cloth to prevent the reptiles from slithering out while allowing air to enter. Then the ‘milking’ process begins. This is essentially extracting the snake venom, where the reptile is encouraged to ‘bite’ the container, as the antidote drips from its fangs into the container.

According to reports, the cooperative has official licenses to hold about 800 snakes at a time. The community keeps each snake in their hold for 21 days, during which venom is extracted four times. Before releasing the snakes into the wild, a mark is made on their belly scales. This prevents the same snake from being caught again. In the last few decades, the Irulas have caught over 100,000 snakes. 

Edited by Megha Chowdhury

Sources

Irulas: The Snake Trackers by Janaki Lenin, Published on 8 August 2003.

The snake people of southern India by Yasawini Sampathkumar, Published on 19 September 2018.

Snakebite in India by World Health Organisation.