2 weeks ago
Indore Snake Rescues Hit Five-Year Low as Charmers Remain
In the city of Indore in India, people celebrate a festival called Nag Panchami.
During this festival, some people called snake charmers show live snakes to earn money.
This year, the Forest Department rescued or caught only five snakes.
That is the lowest number in the last five years.
Last year, they rescued 28 snakes.
The Forest Department made three teams to watch over the city.
They told snake charmers to use fake metal snakes instead of real ones.
Snake charmers said they would release the snakes into the forest, but nobody could check if that was true.
A man named Kailashnath, who has rescued snakes since he was 12, said people should call trained rescuers if they see a snake.
He also said people should go to a doctor right away if a snake bites them.
Recorded snake rescues and seizures in Indore fell to five in 2026, the lowest figure in the Forest Department's five-year record.
The 2026 figure is 82 percent lower than the 28 snakes recorded in 2025.
Snake charmers carried live snakes through parts of Indore during Nag Panchami despite the decline in recorded rescues.
The Forest Department formed three teams to monitor the city and advised charmers to carry metal replica snakes instead of real ones.
Five snakes were rescued during the operation, and officials advised residents to contact trained rescuers rather than catch snakes themselves.
Snake charmers claimed they would release the snakes into the forest and that their teeth had been removed, but these claims could not be independently verified.
- Who
- Forest Department officials, snake charmers, and residents of Indore
- What
- Recorded snake rescues and seizures in Indore fell to five in 2026, the lowest in five years, while snake charmers displayed live snakes during Nag Panchami
- Where
- Indore, Madhya Pradesh
- When
- During Nag Panchami in 2026
- Why
- The decline came as snake charmers carried live snakes through parts of the city, while the Forest Department ran an awareness drive advising charmers to use metal replica snakes
Snake charmers' traditional livelihood
Snake welfare and enforcement
Use of live snakes during Nag Panchami
Snake charmers' traditional livelihood
Catching and displaying snakes during Nag Panchami has been a seasonal livelihood for snake-charmer families for generations, traditionally carrying snakes in wicker baskets and playing flutes.
Snake welfare and enforcement
The Forest Department conducted an extensive drive to train, advise and warn snake charmers, advising them to carry metal replica snakes instead of real snakes to avoid harming snakes.
Claims about snake handling
Snake charmers' traditional livelihood
Snake charmers told residents they would release the snakes into the forest and claimed their teeth had been removed.
Snake welfare and enforcement
These claims could not be independently verified, and officials advised residents to contact trained rescuers or the Forest Department rather than handle snakes themselves.
Key facts
- City
- Indore, Madhya Pradesh
- Event
- Nag Panchami
- Snake rescues in 2026
- 5
- Snake rescues in 2025
- 28
- Year-over-year change
- 82% lower than 2025
- Five-year record
- 35 (2022), 35 (2023), 17 (2024), 28 (2025), 5 (2026)
- Monitoring teams
- 3 Forest Department teams
- Key official
- Forest Ranger Sangeeta Thakur
Quotes
forest ranger Sangeeta Thakur
Forest ranger, trainer for snake charmers
“We advised them to carry a metal representative snake instead of a real snake.”
freepressjournal.in
“We had conducted an extensive drive to train, advise and warn snake charmers.”
freepressjournal.in









