[ Prem Chetry ]
SINGCHUNG, 19 Oct: Arjun Tsering Phinya and Dorjee Phuntso, working under the Singchung Bugun Village Community Reserve, risk their lives to save the lives of speechless reptiles.
The two have rescued 209 snakes, including monocled cobras and king cobras, since 2018 from dozens of localities in Singchung, Tenga and Rupa in West Kameng district.
The duo underwent training in snake rescue at Gerry Martin in Bangalore (Karnataka) in 2018 and started their adventurous job in 2018. “We have rescued many snakes, which included 109 monocled cobras, 12 king cobras and 178 other snakes that total up to a figure of 299 reptiles,” they said.
“In the beginning, we were a bit scared, but now we enjoy our profession in rescuing these reptiles that are equally essential in our environment,” they added.
They recently rescued a king cobra, measuring 12 feet long and weighing 8 kgs, from the OMC 4 here.
On getting a call from people, they rush to the site immediately to rescue snakes, thereby ensuring that no harm is caused to humans and reptiles. They have rescued snakes from Tenga, Dahung, Rupa, Shergaon and other neighbouring areas.
The snakes they rescue are relocated in the wild in Ramaling under the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary near Singchung.
Lauding the job of the duo, Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary RFO Yachang Kani said, “We are grateful to them for their relentless service. It is risky but they have been sincerely doing their job.”
“Reptiles found in this region are special; they are adapted to this environment and are equally responsible in maintaining the ecosystem here. No matter how venomous are they, their existence is as important as ours,” he added.
On the recommendation of the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary and the Shergaon forest division, Phinya and Phuntso were awarded commendation certificates by the Singchung administration and the Rupa administration on 15 August this year.
