“Nag Panchami, held in honour of the serpent god, Naag Devta, instead of paying tribute to them, becomes a mockery. It is a torture for these fascinating reptiles,” PETA India chief functionary Poorva Joshipura said. For Naag Panchami, snakes are captured and often kept in suffocating bags, kept in tiny boxes and starved, have their teeth violently yanked out, have their mouths painfully sewn shut and are brought into the cities. The snake’s venom duct is often pierced with a hot needle, causing the animal’s glands to burst. Their eyes get injured due to the tikka applied to their hoods during pooja. Thousands of snakes die horrible deaths every year on Naag Panchami.“None of these snakes live very long, and death comes slowly and painfully. Snakes would never drink cow’s milk and being forced to consume it harms them,” a PETA spokesperson said. Milk causes the snakes to become severely dehydrated and have allergic reactions and often dysentery. “The ‘dance’ these snakes perform is actually a terrified reactive sway to the snake charmer’s movements as a means of self-defence from ‘attack’ by the pipe,” the spokesperson added.According to PETA, the Indian Wildlife Act of 1972 has banned snake shows. “But snake charmers show their disregard for the law and these animals by continuing their cruel ways,” the spokesperson added.According to the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, it is a crime for snake charmers to catch snakes, exploit them for business purposes or even own them. Under Section 11, Sub Section 1 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960, it is illegal to torture or cause unnecessary pain or suffering to an animal; willfully and unreasonably administer any injurious substance to an animal; keep or confine any animal to a cage or any other receptacle that does not give an animal reasonable opportunity for movement and illegal for an owner to fail to provide sufficient food, water or shelter.Because they are starved and kept thirsty, the snakes consume the milk offered to them. Nothing could be further from their natural diet. Most die as a result. The snakes’ skins may be sold and made into leather purses or belts. Some captured snakes are sold to hospitals and colleges for dissection or for a miserable lifetime cramped in a dark box only to be taken out for venom milking.Another misconception is that snakes sway to music. Snakes are deaf, but they spread their hoods and follow the movements of the snake charmer in an effort to defend themselves - an action which causes them exhaustion and fear.Most snakes shun human contact and would rather flee than fight. But snakes used in these performances are forced to interact with noisy crowds and are subjected to excessive human contact.
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