Snakes

[YogiBear]

Aloha,

In various American gun forums, the topic of snakes has come up lots ot times.

I know that there are cobras in India. Don't know about other dangerous Indian snakes.

Bottom line was what kinds of guns did the various forum membes use to dispose of the various

different kinds of poisonous snakes in their neighborhood.

One person mentioned mongoose vs American rattlers etc.

Didn't think the mongoose would work out because it was mentioned that the poisonous snakes in the US

strike faster than a cobra.

My question is: Do mongoose in India really fight/attack cobras and other snakes?

Do the mongoose win or are the stories just that, Stories?

Fortunately, Hawaii does not have snakes. We do have mongoose.

If we did have Snakes, this is what we would use, shortened Browning Citori 20 ga
For all others, laser sighted Smith & Wesson 38/357 magnum

[xl_target]

The ratio of poisonous snakes to non-poisonous snakes in India is significantly higher than in North America. Most people, who are not familiar with snakes in India treat all snakes as poisonous to be on the safe side. As far as the Mongoose goes, yes they are tough on snakes. When I was a kid, if a snake was seen in your yard or around the house, you would call the guy with the Mongoose and it would flush out and kill the snake. Folklore says that they are not affected by snake venom (or at least it is not fatal to them).

Fortunately, Hawaii does not have snakes. We do have mongoose

Maybe that is why you don't have any snakes.

The word mongoose is derived from the Marathi name mangus (मंगूस) (pronounced as [məŋɡuːs]), perhaps ultimately from Dravidian (cf. Telugu mungeesa (ముంగిస), Kannada mungisi (ಮುಂಗಿಸಿ). The form of the English name (since 1698) was altered to its -goose ending by folk-etymology. It has no etymological connection with the word goose. The plural form is mongooses,[3] or, rarely, mongeese.[4] It has also been spelled mungoose.

Mongooses also have receptors for acetylcholine that, like the receptors in snakes, are shaped so that it is impossible for snake neurotoxin venom to attach to them. Researchers are investigating whether similar mechanisms protect the mongoose from hemotoxic snake venoms.[6]
[edit]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongoose

[rraju2805]

In my opinion , Shotgun in better.


I heard from my mother that my grandfather killed king cobra with his shotgun.

[Vikram]

XL posted some very relevant information about the mongoose protected against snake venom.It is not folklore but they are indeed very successful against snakes. They also make reasonably good pets and I have known a family who kept a few.

I came across a documentary which says that the cobra has a faster strike than a rattler.We do have many poisonous snakes other than the cobra. The Common Krait in India is the most poisonous one and a lot more times poisonous than the cobra. Vipers are also a commonly found type. Then there is the King Cobra.

Defences against snakes? Boulders, stones, sticks etc. They work.


Best-
Vikram

[prashantsingh]

Most people, who are not familiar with snakes in India treat all snakes as poisonous to be on the safe side.

Poisonous or non poisonous. They all bite.
If you get close to them (Intentionally or unintentionally).
We have Cobras , Krait and Vipers.

[shooter]

India has the highest number of deaths by snake bites in the world.
Many documentaries have been made on Nat Geo and Discovery on this.
Snake bite was an important toic covered in med school and pre-med (PMT). One even needed to learn about the difference between the venoms and their action. Also how to differentiate between poisnous and non-poisonous snakes; not only by looking at them but also by counting the number of scales between the eye and the mouth and the shape and size of the scales.
Just like the rest of the world, there are more non-poisonous than poisonous snakes. This is especially true in the warm tropical regions where though there are more snakes in general but poisonous ones are less.

In the dry arid regions, the percentage of poisonous snakes in more but there are still more non-poisonous snakes.

The snakes occupy such a place in mythology and culture that no other culture in the world has snakes as such an integral part of day to day living. (there was even a docmentary relating to this). There are snake charmer caste, snake dance. Movies showing snakes playing musical instruments, movies showing snakes being breast fed by humans (Aruna Irani in the movie "doodh ka karz"), snakes changing into humans, snakes having sex with humans, snakes guarding treasures, snakes with whiskers (I have seen pic in newspaper too (pre-photoshop era; maybe it was fake); dancing snakes, snakes having a jewel inside their head. The most popular indian comoc book hero Nagraj is also a half snake half man. In one comic, the villian captures spiderman, batman and superman and he goes and rescues them.

Most beliefs about snakes in India are not true.

For e.g. snakes drinking milk; most indians think snakes drink milk; this is false. Thousands of snakes die each year on "snake day" religious festival where snake charmers.

Second is that snake bites being cured by visiting specific shrines and temples.

Thirdly all snaks being poisonous.

Fourthly, snakes dancing to music

Fifthly, sankes can hypnotise their prey before attacking it.

Flying snakes

Snakes living to hundred

Two headed snakes

Snakes that can run faster than and is stronger than a horse (not a python but "Ghoda pachhar" snake)

And many more.

Most funny is about a particular species of a snake which is actually non poisonous but people believe that once it bites you, if it urinates, you will die but if it doesnt, you will live. We used to get many patients in the hospital coming with the snake. They didnt want to be treated themselves but wanted the Dr. to give a pill/injection to the snake to stop it from pissing! This has become less common not because people in the villages are more aware but because habitat destruction has caused that decimated that snakes' population.

The truth is snakes are scared of humans.

I have lived both in the tropics and in the desert regions. I have seen snake bites both as a doctor and during my interactions with tribals and rural people.
I have seen fingers amputated as a result of bites, visited temples for snake bites.

I have captured and killed cobras, and other poisonous and non poisonous snakes.
(sorry books but when the adrenaline hits you, one cant count the scales under the snakes eye; the brown cobra and a rat snake in the dark, under the bed and behind the WC in the toilet look the same)

I have never had to use a gun. One can easily make a snake catching device with materials around oneself. Once captured, one can kill or release it.

Once in London, i was discussing catching snakes and improvising snake catching device and they all looked sceptical; i was able to make one from material available in the doctors common roon (where no surgical implements or suture material is available).

I'm not sure about rattlers and all my american friends recommend killing them rather than capturing them.

[sudhaiob]

You have what are known as the big four in India
1. The common cobra
2. The common krait
3. The saw scaled viper and
4. The russels viper
These are the common venomous snakes encountered in India and they account for almost the entire fatalities in the country.
They are protected by law and cannot be legally killed in the country.
Regs
Sudhaiob

[varunik]

most of the times, people die because of a heart attack, and not venom.
In India, survival skills are not taught in schools.
Thanks to Man vs Wild, young children now want to learn things like how to handle a snake, or light fire under extreme conditions..

The mongoose vs snake is on different level in some countries where a mongoose is kept next to a snakes cage before cooking and serving snakes. anything for big bucks!

[hamiclar01]

Bottom line was what kinds of guns did the various forum membes use to dispose of the various
different kinds of poisonous snakes in their neighborhood.

I find your comment interesting. Do you "dispose of" snakes at sight? If so, why? (they're not exactly plague carrying rats or nuisance creating mosquitoes)

My in laws live in a sprawling University campus set in the jungle. Snakes have always been a part of their life, turning up in odd places and odd times. (I am sure many on this forum have had similar experiences growing up.)

They simply find someone to catch and release them in the wild, or do it themselves (depending on who finds which snake). Killing each snake that turns up at the dinner table or in the drawing room is not a solution anyway.

Personally, I find snakes fascinating (?too much reading Romulus Whitaker). Like this guy...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_Shyam

[prashantsingh]

Do you "dispose of" snakes at sight

They simply find someone to catch and release them in the wild, or do it themselves (depending on who finds which snake).

Very true. Infact many Indians consider killing/harming snakes sacrilege. Specially the King Cobra.

I have mentioned this before on IFG on another thread. Last summer Safarigent and I went riding to an Army establishment. The guys there informed us of the presence of a big Cobra living under an old tree next to the stables. He has been living there for many years now and has never bitten a horse or a human till date.
On the contrary everyone is very happy with him 'cause he puts a check on the rat population. The rats are there to feast on the "channa" which comes for the horses.

[ak27]

On the contrary everyone is very happy with him 'cause he puts a check on the rat population. The rats are there to feast on the "channa" which comes for the horses.

An excellent example of the well-regulated balance among various species' population that would exist if only humans were not to intervene and ruin the food chain catering to their comforts and fears.

[fantumfan2003]

Yogibear,

There is no need for us to kill snakes. It is considered, unholy and is illegal too.........Snakes are encountered where there is usually an intrusion by humans into snake territory. There are a lot of snake friends in our area and in Mumbai who come and rescue these unfortunate and misunderstood creatures and release them in the wild. In fact in our work campus, its is company policy to not harm any form of wildilfe.

M.

Aloha,

In various American gun forums, the topic of snakes has come up lots ot times.

I know that there are cobras in India. Don't know about other dangerous Indian snakes.

Bottom line was what kinds of guns did the various forum membes use to dispose of the various

different kinds of poisonous snakes in their neighborhood.

[ Image ]

[Priyan]

Most common snakes in our area are whip snake, tree snake, water snake and dhaman. $10 says there's at least one dhaman looking for rat on roof right now as I'm typing this post. All three are non poisonous to human, the poisonous ones are Krait which is the most common cause of snake bite related death in India. Also you'll find Indian cobra and King cobra, the latter is kinda rare though.

Depending on region one can expect to find the following poisonous snakes, Indian cobra, King cobra, Krait, Russel's viper, Himalayan pit viper, coral snake and sea snake. Some non poisonous snakes that can be found around dwellings are Blind snake, Dhaman which is also called rat snake, Pond snake, Whip snake and Tree snake. If you go a away a little from human settlement you'll find Indian python which is locally called Ajgar.

There's a lot of people here who mistake Sand boa with Krait which is highly poisonous. Most people here use the term 'hoksu' (Local name for Krait) and 'dumukhia' (Local name for Sand boa) interchangeably.

[Safarigent]

Are the rat shot rounds or other such contraptions used by any of our members outside india?

[YogiBear]

Aloha,

I guess some clarification is in order.

Here in Hawaii, there no snakes. A few imported poisonous spiders(haven't seen one yet).

On the US Mainland, many gun owners live in areas where there are poisonous snakes among

other things.

Many of them have been very lucky that when doing things around the home/property, they have

found that they were within inches of a dangerous snake that Could have biten them if it considered the

person a threat.

Thereby leading to the "What gun do you use to shoot a snake?" threads.

Actually, the Browning shotgun is more for home invaders and would be used for snakes, which

Hawaii does not have.

The mongoose are and Introduced species brought in for rat cntrol. Poorly thought out as the rats

and mongoose operated on different schedules. Mongoose are an efficient predator that have

taken a toll on local native wildlife which had no such predator until they and cats and dogs were introduced.

I was curious about if the mongoose really is capable of killing snakes as an every day sort of thing.