Bhubaneswar: Stray animals colliding with ill-fated vehicles are a very common sight in Odisha. While many passersby don’t show concern for serving the injured stray animals, Tamando-based Prasanna Das is an exception. In short, he has dedicated his life to the service of the animal kingdom. Be it a cat, dog, cow, buffalo or any other animal, he rushes to the spot with a medical kit and serves the ailing animal and he admits the ailing animals to hospitals if required. He has the credit of rescuing more than 30,000 snakes from houses in the last 13 years. Ommcom News gets candid with the snake rescuer to know his journey…
Over the years, many passionate people have come forward to help these voiceless souls. Prasanna is one of them who has also stood by their cause.
Being empathetic towards animals is something Prasanna had learnt right from his childhood. He had grown to become very fond of pets and animals. He cannot tolerate seeing animals in pain. For him, encountering an injured stray animal can be a distressing situation but there are steps we can take to ensure their safety and well-being. Apart from looking after ailing animals and feeding animals, he rescues snakes.
Asked what prompted him to take up snake rescue as a full-time job, he shared an anecdote. “My sister died of snake bite in 2011. It was then I decided to rescue snakes that would enter human habitats so that I could save the lives of snakes as well as human beings. I feel that human beings are aggressive but not animals. They cannot retaliate if you do not attack them. Snakes only attack in self-defence when they feel their life is in danger”, said Prasanna.
Prasanna often gets calls from people to attend their ailing animals at home for which he does not take a single penny from anyone. He receives money if anyone gives it willingly. He has launched a non-profit organization in the name of Help India Animal Rescue and he has appointed volunteers in all the districts. Though he rescues all sorts of animals, he came to the limelight after rescuing snakes on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.
Over the years, he treated more than 11,000 animals. Also, he has rescued many cows from being trafficked to several parts of the country.
Sharing a recent incident, he says, “I got a call at 1 am from a person residing at Saliasahi in Bhubaneswar four days back. He told me to rescue the cobra from his house. Jokingly I asked him to pay Rs 500 for the job. After rescuing the snake, I gave Rs 100 to the person seeing his condition. He was a poverty-stricken man and receiving money from him is not reasonable on my part.”
Before being a snake rescuer, he was an autorickshaw driver. Following his sister’s death in snakebite, he changed his mind and started serving animals and rescuing snakes.
“In the beginning, when I started rescuing snakes and took it up as full-time job, my wife used to tell me not to do this. But now she is okay with what I love doing”, signed off Prasanna.
By Rashmi Rekha Das
