Snake
Dr Abubakar Ballah, the Officer-in-Charge of Snakebite Treatment
and Research Centre, Kaltungo, Gombe state, has called on
Nigerians to embrace snake rearing to enhance their economic
status.
Ballah told newsmen in Kaltungo on Friday that snake rearing is
one of the most profitable trades in the world.
According to him, the high cost of snake venom used by
pharmaceutical industries in producing anti snake venom has
glorified the business.
“An ounce of the venom of a Carpet viper snake is 500 USD, that of
Cobra and Puff adder snakes cost 400 USD.
“The good thing about the business is that you can find market
easily through the internet,” the official said.
Ballah said that apart from the production of anti snakebite
venoms, the pharmaceutical industries use the snake venoms in
the production of anti hypertensive, cancer and ulcer drugs.
Besides selling the snakes to pharmaceutical firms, he disclosed
that the reptiles could be sold to earn foreign exchange.
“For example, Indonesia has the largest reservoir of snakes in the
world, very beautiful, colourful and harmless, and the government
of that country exports them to earn revenue,” he said
“In the area of fashion, the skins of the reptile are used in the
production of fanciful belts, ladies handbags, shoes and other
items.
“It is therefore ironical to see fashion-conscious people, dressed in
shoes, belts and handbags made from snake skins, either having
phobia for live snakes, or see the reptile as enemy number one,”
he observed.
In the area of nature’s own nourishment, the officer said snake
meat is a favourite delicacy in some African and Asian countries.
“They remove the venom and prepare special pepper soup,
especially the python meat, which tastes like fish meat,” he said.
Ballah said in the area of agriculture, snakes help in balancing the
ecosystem on farmlands by reducing the number of destructive
rodents, thereby enabling farmers to enjoy bumper harvest.
“Farmers do not go out at night to check their farms; snakes do
that for them, as such the reptiles are supposed to be friends of
farmers, not enemies,” he added.
He attributed the phobia for snakes by people to the awesome
charisma of the elegant reptile, but stressed that snakes were
harmless, and that they only bite in self-defence.
“In most cases, it is only when it feels threatened that it bites, just
like any human being will not hesitate to throw a punch at any
enemy, real or imagined.
“So more often than not, we have cases of people, either
advertently or otherwise, stepping on snakes and the reptile bites
back out of the instinct to protect itself.
“That is why when a snake gets to hear any movement from far, it
tries to run away but when pursued and placed in a tight corner, it
reacts if it has the means to do so,” he explained.
On how to rear snakes considering that taming same is a herculian
task, the officer said interested persons could either engage the
services of snake charmers for a fee per snake, or engage in joint
business with the charmers.
He noted that Nigeria was blessed with varieties of snakes spread
all over the country, as exemplified by what obtains in Kaltungo
town of Gombe state.
Ballah underscored the need to harness same and generate
revenue at individual and government levels.
Source: vanguardngr
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