Coexisting with Snakes in Goa – A Utopian Dream?

Declared a Neglected Tropical Disease in 2018 by the World Health Organisation (WHO), snake bites claim between 81,000–138,000 human lives, and over 400,000 people suffering permanent disabilities globally every year. The 2011 Million Death study had pegged human snakebite deaths at more than 40,000 a year in India. A revised study from 2020 stated the figures were higher than earlier estimated, standing at over 58,000 annually for India.

Globally, our country’s snakebite burden is said to be the highest. There is also no figure about the number of snakes that are killed in retaliation/fear. However, it would be a safe bet to presume that they would be at least as high or even double the number of people dying of snakebites.

However, the state of Goa seems to be the exception to the norm. A look at the publicly available records by the Directorate of Health Services in Goa shows 3,346 snakebite cases with 27 mortalities. But is this relatively low mortality really the whole truth? Or, like many other states of the country, do the official databases reflect only a part of the story? I spent the last few years trying to understand how, what, and who makes Goa tick.

Goa has varied landscapes and astonishing biodiversity. When it comes to snakes, the common cobra, Russell’s viper, common krait, and saw-scaled viper (the “Big 4” venomous snakes of India) are found all over the state and frequently cross paths with humans. For many years, these four have been believed to cause the maximum snakebite deaths in peninsular India. However, emerging data looks at species like the hump-nosed pit viper as being medically significant. More research needs to be done on the bite profiles of other species in states where the “Big 4” are not common or not present, including the Northeastern states and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Organisations like Madras Crocodile Bank and the Evolutionary Venomics Lab have undertaken projects to identify deficiencies in existing anti-venom.

For the last ten years, I have been working in the area of human-snake conflict across various Indian states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, etc. As a Global Challenges Doctoral Candidate at the University of Kent, I got the opportunity to expand my research to understand human-snake conflict and coexistence. As part of my research, I have been studying human-snake coexistence in Goa, focusing on snakebites in both humans and domestic animals. When I first started, I carried the presumptions about snakebites from my experiences working in other states. Most areas I’d worked in showed high human mortality, high frequency of bites, a heavy reliance on alternate methods of treatment, including faith healers, low tolerance to the presence of snakes, and a high number of snakes being killed in retaliation and fear.

However, a surprise awaited me in Goa. After speaking to several rescuers, herpetologists, community members, doctors, and vets I realised the state was a beacon for snake-human coexistence. A concerted effort by individuals and NGOs over the last 25-odd years has increased awareness about snakes and led to the prevention of snakebites, provision of first aid in case of snakebites, as well as caused a reduction in snake killings. However, is that enough to explain the relatively low mortality of humans from snakebites in Goa? Studies suggest that any official records will most likely be an underrepresentation of actual numbers. According to the government records alone, from the period of 2014-2016, Goa recorded 4 deaths whereas its neighbouring states like Karnataka and Maharashtra recorded 171 and 144 deaths respectively.

While I’m still analysing the data I’ve collected over the last two years, preliminary analysis suggests that Goa has several factors in favour. Due to its small size, irrespective of where they are in Goa, a person can reach a private or government hospital equipped with anti-snake venom within an hour. Over the last few decades, awareness sessions have helped shift people away from relying on faith healers. Timely medical intervention, ease of access to medical facilities, and the availability of ambulances to transport patients to hospitals are big pluses in Goa. Vets across Goa have also started stocking anti-venom, given the sheer volume of pets bitten by snakes. While the occurrences are lower in apartment buildings, many cases have been reported from independent houses or in areas with gardens or parks where the dogs/cats roam freely. While adult dogs seem to get bitten while cornering a snake, cats kill snakes and other wildlife, and the predation of cats by pythons was commonly reported in city areas like Panjim. Unfortunately, there is no publicly available database to verify the number of domestic animals or livestock lost to snakebites.

Many Goans I interviewed recounted growing up with experiences with snakes. They are part and parcel of Goan life and are found all over the state. Until a generation ago, killing was the most common way of dealing with a snake, especially a venomous one. The rising awareness of the last few decades has also meant an increase in the daily influx of rescue calls to the Forest Department and private rescuers. From only one snake rescuer officially working with the Forest Department across Goa, now Goa has a 24x7 helpline and many private rescuers across the state. Goans now know that a rescuer will come to their aid. Killing or trying to handle a snake on their own are no longer their only options. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this has led to an increased tolerance for sharing their space safely with these wild animals.

I remember the first time I went with local rescuers to attend a call from a guesthouse owner in the heart of Baga, one of Goa’s most touristy spots. A python had broken into the chicken coop, and the owner had spotted it when they went to retrieve eggs. When we reached there, I had assumed there would be impatience and anger. But I realised they wouldn’t have called rescuers if they had wanted to kill the snake. In many other places I have worked, having the snake left alive is a huge win by itself. In this case, all the owner wanted was that the python to be taken out gently and released at a distance. They planned to reinforce the coop and get more chickens. They brushed off the whole thing with a smile and a shrug, saying if you live in Goa, you need to accept nature around you. They knew someone would come and help with the python, so the thought of killing it never entered their minds.

While having many available rescuers eases the burden, having unauthorised private rescuers is a double-edged sword. Many young people across India have taken up snake handling as a shortcut to social media fame without regard for the ethics of handling wild animals. There are records of people being bitten (in Goa) while trying to handle snakes after misidentifying them or handling them without equipment; this is especially common with Russell’s vipers.

Do all these positive stories mean everything works perfectly in every corner of Goa? Of course not. Goa has its share of problems. One of the most pressing ones is the rise in development and infrastructure, leading to increased human-snake conflict. Many societies or houses next to upcoming projects have reported an increase in snakes in their vicinity after they were displaced from construction sites. Roadkill is also common, as are snakes caught in discarded ghost nets or fishing nets put up for fencing off areas.

Goa has also seen a change in its demography, with many people from other states settling here over the last two decades. There needs to be a more extensive reach among these populations, who may be unfamiliar with various snake species, what to do in case of snakebites, or how to coexist safely. For example, 95 per cent of the security guards at housing societies I interviewed didn’t know how to identify snakes or what to do in case of a snakebite. Yet, they were often the first ones called on the scene when a snake was spotted. This puts them in a precarious position. Some even free-handled Russell’s vipers, thinking they were pythons since their native places did not have these vipers, and they did not know about the viper’s hemotoxic bite.

Right now, the people of Goa have taken it upon themselves to save what is left of Goa’s biodiversity. Right from the Amche Mollem campaign to restoration projects to diving into wells to rescue crocodiles, leopards, and snakes, it is by and large Goa’s community trying to work in tandem with the authorities, stepping up and fighting to save their home, snakes and all.