SARPA – An App That Saves Lives

It was late in the evening of an unexpectedly uneventful day. I headed for my last cup of coffee before retiring; it has been a ritual for as long as I can remember. Halfway through, my phone pinged, reminding me that the day wasn’t over. I gulped the last sip and, within a few minutes, was out on my motorcycle, racing towards the location of the emergency alert.

The SARPA app was conceptualised to address the rising number of snakebite incidents across Kerala. Snakes and snakebites are not new to the state as it is home to numerous venomous species, including the Big Four – spectacled cobra, common krait, Russell’s viper, and the saw-scaled viper. Add to the list the hump-nosed pit viper, Malabar pit viper, and the king cobra — all venomous snakes.

The night’s emergency call involved a Russell’s viper that had entered an elderly couple’s premises and was on the porch where Mr Vipin usually enjoyed dinner. This evening, he was startled by a strange hiss and, fortunately, had taken a few steps back just in time. As I carefully guided the serpent into the snake bag, the senior gentleman sighed with relief. In Kuttanadu, it is not uncommon to encounter a Russell’s viper on your property. They are part of the local wildlife and are also the reason behind most snakebite cases. Thankfully, Vipin immediately raised the alarm on his SARPA mobile application, and it took me less than five minutes to arrive at the location to prevent any untoward incident.

SARPA – a product of teamwork and collaboration

Like me, there are 802 (as of September 2024) snake rescue responders registered with the SARPA app, and the numbers are ever-increasing. To be registered as a SARPA rescuer, an individual must undergo one day of training, followed by certification by the Forest Department. Snakebite has always been a matter of concern for Kerala’s state forest department as they account for the bulk of human-wildlife conflict (HWC) cases. The state reported an average of 110 deaths per year due to snakebites between 2015 and 2020. Increased snakebite-related deaths also kept the HWC numbers high, and these often get misrepresented in the media as widespread conflict with other animals, resulting in groups demanding the “culling of wildlife”.

SARPA, which stands for Snake Awareness Rescue and Protection App, was formed under the leadership of the Department of Forests and Wildlife Protection of Kerala, and Mohammed Anwar Yunus (Assistant Conservator of Forests) was made the nodal officer. The initial team included Anwar, a martial arts expert and skilled wildlife rescuer, Dr Sandeep Das, a well-known herpetologist, Jose Louies from Wildlife Trust of India and a founder of indiansnakes.org and a few other regional experts who came together to develop an action plan for the state. Within a few months, the Standard Operating Protocol was ready, and the state initiated plans to set up a state-wide network of snake rescuers.

Allen of Leopard Tech Labs exclaims, “It was one of the most satisfying technology projects we’ve worked on. It was a product of the COVID months where I was able to come up with something that could save lives”. The state health department was roped in, and they responded by ensuring that all the taluk (district) level hospitals were equipped to deal with snakebite emergencies. By the end of 2021, a strong team was established across the state with auxiliary support from various government departments. The SARPA team provided doctors with an orientation on how to treat snakebite cases following proper protocols. As of September 2024, 84 hospitals have been registered under the SARPA app. Availability of antivenom was ensured in all the hospitals above the taluk level, facilitated by the state health department. In addition, they ensured that each hospital was equipped with ventilators, which were supplied as part of the COVID response. The police and fire department also trained their personnel to rescue snakes.

“The SARPA app is the Uber of snakebite emergencies,” says Jose Louies. “Anyone can request assistance, and the nearest available snake rescuer is dispatched to the location”, he adds. The app and rescue service is free; it also provides information on the nearest hospital in case of a snakebite, and tools to identify snakes. The team also organises awareness camps on the prevention of snakebites.

Prevention is better than cure

People are well aware of the potency of venomous snakes. In November 2019, there was an incident where a ten-year-old child was bitten by an unidentified snake inside her classroom in Wayanad and unfortunately succumbed in a hospital. “While it sparked outrage against the reptiles in the vicinity, one needs to understand the actual cause behind it. Humans are not natural prey to snakes. These reptiles seek spaces where they get an opportunity to hunt rodents,” says Jose. To avoid such mishaps, it is necessary to keep our surroundings clean. SARPA rescuers regularly conduct awareness camps, teaching preventive measures such as using flashlights at night, clearing clutter in and around the house to reduce rodent presence, proper first aid in case of snakebite, etc.

The numbers that put a smile

As per available data, the number of snakebite deaths across Kerala state reduced from 119 in 2019 to 14 in 2024 (until 15th October). The state forest department celebrated this momentous achievement on “SARPA Day” coinciding with World Snake Day (16th July) 2024, where A K Saseendran, the Minister for Forests and Wildlife Protection of Kerala, assured the continued support towards the mission of “zero snakebite deaths”.

Achieving absolute zero snakebite deaths is challenging, but keeping the deaths to a minimum is a priority now. The need of the hour is to ensure that patients reach hospitals where snakebite treatment and proper primary response/aid is available,” says Dr Jaideep Menon, who is associated with Amrita hospitals and is a renowned snakebite treatment expert (even though his speciality is cardiology).

Training rescuers not only saves human lives but also protects snakes. Project SARPA is undoubtedly saving lives! The initial technical issues, mostly related to the registration process have been resolved, and it is a fully functional system today. Currently, the app has 802 registered snake rescuers all over Kerala state, with an average response time of under 30 minutes. Since its launch in 2021, 37,493 snakes have been safely removed from human premises and put back into the wild, following the existing release protocols. “These numbers are the best indicators of success. We will continue to update the app and the necessary tools and features to finally be able to reach ZERO human casualty figures,” ends Anwar with a broad smile.

As for me, I finally get home knowing that another untoward incident has been averted and that I was probably able to save a life of two. There couldn’t be a better ending to my weekend!