The villagers, fearing that the poisonous krait might bite someone else, decided to kill the snake by burning it alive on the funeral pyre.On the day of the cremation, the venomous snake, tied with a rope and hanging from a stick, was taken by some villagers to the final rites of Rathiya at the cremation ground, where it was burned alive on the funeral pyre. A video showing local residents dragging the snake along with Rathiya’s funeral procession went viral on social media.“Instead of killing the snake straight, the villagers felt it is better to eliminate the poisonous snake by burning it on the funeral pyre before anyone became yet another casualty of a snakebite,” Jagrit Kumur, a local villager, said.The incident has shocked the animal rights activists, however despite the public objections, the local authorities didn’t look keen to initiate any action against the inhabitants of Baigamar village.“There is a need to educate the people and create awareness among the masses about snakes and snakebite management besides how vital the reptiles are for the ecosystem”, a senior official in Korba said.
Source link
