Snake Charming: Cruelty or tradition?

Once an icon of Indian culture, snake charmers today are struggling for survival. The exotic sight of the mystical men who have enticed cobras and vipers to dance to the soulful music of flutes for centuries has now become the victim of wildlife protection laws.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• RT
• rural India
• Karan Singh
• snakes
• village
• animal rights protection
• music
• charm
• culture
• traditions

[Gethsemaneful]

Snakes fangs are pulled out with pliers and the venom sacs are burned. Such snakes need both to catch and to digest food, so the practice basically causes the snakes to starve to death. Since snakes only need to eat once a month, starvation takes a while.

[HorrorAngel666]

Wheres animal rights for the animals we eat. Stupid hippies, they would starve you to death if they had their way.

[kemando12]

@HorrorAngel666 no, no they can live off plants and tofu for ever and still be big and STRONG

[daprinceXLNC]

fucking corrupted government

[kozmon0t]

Another thing they still do in India is make the untouchables jump into shit-filled sewers to unclog them

[10lettername]

DEALING WIT DEEZ CDDREETCHAS.

lol fucking indian accents.

[Graddee]

Do they defang the Pythons then? I wouldn't think Pythons would need to have their teeth removed

[CelticVictory]

@velyogendra108 Cobras aren't always treated well by their handlers but the charmers do put themselves at risk in that case, so I don't know.

[velyogendra108]

I've heard that some charmers, who view the cobra as sacred, do not defang it. Then why should those charmers be put out of business?

[Paraplueschi]

@pyr666 Yes kinda - I mean, why do you even want a cat if you have problems with their claws in the first place? I just don't see it. Sure there is much crueler stuff, but not by people who actually "like" cats and not on an "official" scale. Neutering is important so that the huge populations don't get any bigger (think of the wildlife), but declawing is just cruel. It has a huge impact on the natural behavior. Knitting, scratching, climbing, defending and so on it's all not possible anymore..

[pyr666]

@Paraplueschi

is it really that disturbing? I mean, compared to everything else humanity does to animals? even in europe you neuter, i imagine.