Paschim Medinipur: Three Tortured Cobras Rescued, POR Registered, Following PETA India Complaint

Acting on alarming videos that appeared on a social media account that depicted the unlawful possession, abuse, and exploitation of three Indian cobras (Naja kaouthia)—a species protected under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972—by a local entertainer, PETA India worked with the Kharagpur Forest Division of the West Bengal Forest Department to register a preliminary offence report (POR) and ensure the cobras were seized.

PETA India received several videos from concerned members of the public showing a woman from Paschim Medinipur allegedly confining and exploiting cobras for entertainment and content creation. In the footage, the woman is seen standing on both ends of the cobra while pressing the body, force-feeding them, and, in other instances, performing with them on stage. The POR was registered under sections 9, 48 and 51 of the WPA, 1972, against the illegal custodian. The three cobras were rescued from her residence, and after a medical examination by a veterinarian, the animals were released into the forest. Any offence against species protected under Schedule I of the WPA, 1972 is punishable with a jail term of at least three years, which may extend to seven years, and a fine of at least ₹25,000.

Snakes are trapped and taken from their natural habitats by snake charmers, disregarding the WPA, 1972. Their teeth are often violently yanked out, their venom glands are emptied by painfully squeezing on their heads, and in many cases, their mouths are sewn shut, leaving a little gap to pour water or milk. And the “dance” that snakes perform is actually a fearful reaction to the charmer’s pipe, which the animals perceive as a threat. The deaths of snakes kept like this comes slowly and painfully.