or beads. The snakes are carried
allowing themselves to be bitten
appear within days, so the
in pots or shallow baskets, and
(intriguingly, the Pakkoku people
snakes must be checked
when a suitable location is found,
of Burma also tattoo their bodies
regularly and new fangs
the snake charmer sits cross-
on a weekly basis using a mixture extracted on an ongoing basis.
legged in front of one of these
of ink and venom, however, any
Alternatively, large portions of the
containers, lifts the lid, and then
beneficial effects are unproven),
jaw bone may be excised to
begins to play an instrument
snake charmers have become
prevent this occurrence. This
called a pungi (which is rather
notorious for avoiding the
again deprives the snake of the
like a recorder with a bulbous
possibility of a dangerous bite by
ability to feed and digest prey
part fashioned from a gourd),
subjecting their charges to a
items, and is likely to result in a
swinging it from side to side.
variety of barbaric practices.
fatal infection. In some areas,
Whilst cobras are preferred in
Sometimes the snake’s mouth is
snake charmers rub a herbal
India, the species of
preparation onto
‘ Snake charmers have
snake used depends on
their animals’ bod-
local availability (snake
ies, or place it into
become
for
charmers traditionally
their mouths. This is
subjecting their charges to designed to render
used to procure their
specimens from the
the snakes lethargic
a variety of
wild, however it is now
or paralyse the jaw
.’
more common to
muscles.
source them from mid-
dle men). Pythons and Mangrove
sewn shut (even for nonven-
Not surprisingly, given these acts
Snakes are also used, and in
omous species), often with a
of cruelty, many snake charmers
North Africa various viperids,
small opening left for the tongue
evidently view their snakes as
including the Horned Desert
to flick in and out. Although at
expendable and make little
Viper and the Puff Adder, are
least in theory the stitches could
pretence of looking after them.
commonly employed.
be removed periodically, allowing
They are often kept permanently
the animal to feed, it appears that in their small pots or baskets
it is normally consigned to death
without access to food or water,
Some sinister facts.
by
slow
starvation
or
infection.
and failing any other cause of
However, unlike Australia’s early
The
fangs
and
venom
glands
are
death, will eventually succumb to
snake men, who often relied
also
often
crudely
destroyed
or
dehydration and starvation. This
upon inuring themselves to the
removed,
but
replacement
fangs
may have given rise to the belief
effects of venom by regularly
notorious
barbaric
practices