Bhubaneswar: Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Susant Nanda has ordered an enquiry into the incident of a snake catcher being bitten by a reptile in the premises of Birmaharajpur police station in Subarnapur district on Monday and his subsequent death.
Nanda is learnt to have directed the Sonepur Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) to enquire why the snake catcher had brought the snake to the police station instead of releasing the reptile into the forest.
Nanda has informed that the Forest Department will be launching Sarpa App to train snake catchers. The training would be provided by PCCF(Wildlife) in collaboration with the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC).
Apart from the provision of training, trained snake catchers will be provided with snake catcher kits.
According to reports, while a cobra was noticed at a person’s house in Champamal village, Goura Kumbhar of Mendhamal village was asked to catch the snake. Goura who after capturing the venomous snake had kept it in a plastic jar and had gone to the police station for some work. At the police station, Goura took out the snake from the jar and while he was putting it back inside the jar he was bitten by the cobra.
He was immediately rushed to the district headquarters hospital at Subarnapur by the police. However, he died while undergoing treatment at the hospital.
