Rescuing a Viper
I finished the third draft of the book!
Hey friends,
Greetings from Ashoka University, India!
I’ve finished the third draft of the book! I’ve sent it to my editor, and I’m now dipping my toe into the world of book design. This involves looking at cover designs, page layouts and so on…
I am taking some time away from my manuscript so that I can jump back in and edit with full gusto!
Here is a small anecdote that I might not be able to include in my book, so I am sharing it here. It’s about an occasion I had to rescue a Russell’s viper during my time at Rishi Valley School—a boarding school in a forested valley in rural India.
Outside my hostel were several potted plants around a few benches. This was where we’d sit to take off our shoes. Once, after a long jog, I made my way towards the benches just as the papamma (the local term for support staff) was exiting the hostel.
As I sat down, a piercing scream rent the air. The papamma hysterically pointed her finger at me, yelling something in Telugu.
At first, I thought I’d done something wrong. But, as I jumped up, I heard a powerful hiss. Behind me, a mere two feet from where I sat, lay a Russell's viper ready to strike.
The Russell's viper is one of the deadliest snakes to roam the Indian subcontinent. Their dull brown bodies sport a diamond pattern along their spines. Their mouths host two long fangs that pack a hemotoxic venom—powerful enough to dissolve tissue. They are one of India’s big four deadly snakes, causing several thousand deaths a year. A bite from even a young one can kill.
The snake was perched atop a dead plant, its patterns blending with the mottled brown leaves. A baby snake, it was a few weeks old at most. It could have easily fit in my palm.
I stared at the snake, all its vigour concentrated in those blazing orbs. Horror stirred in my stomach. This was the most frightening serpent I’d come across.
On that occasion, Natrajan Sir and Sita Akka (the teachers who rescued snakes on campus) were not on campus. Seeing no one else was qualified to rescue the deadly snake, I knew it wouldn’t be long before talk of killing it came up.
But I had made up my mind. No matter how dangerous the animal is, I would not let one die on my watch. Not a chance. I would do everything in my power to ensure its safety. At once, I issued orders, “Get me the mop with the long handle! Place an empty bucket on my left. And, get back”.
My snake bite was only a few weeks earlier, and yet there I was, back dancing with snakes. This time though, I was tackling a much more dangerous adversary. One that could kill with a single bite.
A small crowd gathered as I approached the snake. I did not have a hook, so I had to make do with a large mop. It was bulky, difficult to wield, but good enough to direct the snake.
One has to be extremely careful when catching venomous snakes. A slip-up could be fatal. If it were non-venomous, I would have considered grabbed it by the tail. But this was a viper, and it was so small that such a move was out of question. It could quickly whip around and sink its fangs into my finger. So I relied solely on the mop handle to move the reptile.
As I coaxed the snake towards the bucket, a friend exclaimed, “Isn’t that a python? Why can’t you just pick it up?”.
Russell’s vipers are often mistaken for pythons, a myth leading many to think babies can be safely handled. It takes a trained eye to distinguish the symmetrical patterns of a Russell's viper from the blotchy markings on a python.
The snake did not take well to my prodding. It lashed out, purely in fear. Imagine being poked at with a stick by a creature almost a hundred times bigger than you.
Several tense minutes went by. I'd nudge the snake forward. It would strike in defiance. My house parent would shriek in terror. I’d wipe my brow and start again.
Finally, after several nail-biting minutes, I managed to get the mop handle under the snake. Lifting it, I delicately dropped it into the bucket. Thanks to its smooth walls, it couldn’t slither out. Everyone gathered around to see the tiny reptile move about inside.
Protocol dictates no one knows where you release the snake so that they don’t return to the site out of curiosity. So I instructed everyone to stay back. I carefully picked up the bucket and walked to a forest patch several hundred metres from my hostel.
I lay the bucket on its side and the snake slowly made its way out. For a small eternity, it paused, scanning its surroundings. Then it moved a couple of inches and paused again. Apprehensive. Calculating.
A crow cooed nervously from the treetops. Did it know death slithered below? I watched as it flapped off its perch.
Turning back, I was stunned to find the snake had vanished. Where was it?
There, right there, just inches from the bucket! Its patterns merged with the leaf litter, becoming the same. Years of evolution, masking it in plain sight. Camouflage at its very best. The hiss of its anger, the camouflage of its patterns…a terrifying nightmare hidden in the leaves. It was best not to linger there any longer.
A week later, I learned that a baby Russell’s viper was sighted outside my hostel. I arrived in time to see a tiny tail slip under the leaf litter. I was happy to let it go.
Here are some links I enjoyed this week:
Earthrise: What It's Like to Escape Our Planet | Op-Docs: This was such a powerful short documentary. It is just as the title says. If you have a few mins to spare, I really think this will be worth your while.
Our Planet | One Planet | FULL EPISODE | Netflix: One of the best wildlife documentaries ever. Netflix has very kindly put this on Youtube for everyone to watch. I can’t get enough of this series.
Postcard
This is the latest illustration for the book—a malabar pit viper. I actually studied this individual snake during my time in the rainforest in Agumbe, Karnataka. I’m really happy with how this turned out. It took a few more hours than I expected!
PS: This snake was a large female, and so I named her “Large Marge” XD
Favourite Quote
“If nature still has secrets, we should consider that any species of monster is possibly out there, in the darkness and in the depths” - Jules Verne
Have a creative, wild and inspiring week!
If you’re new, welcome to The Owlet! My name is Ishan Shanavas, and I am an Artist, Photographer, Writer and Student of the Natural World.
Here I talk about my work, along with curating the most interesting ideas on the internet. I confine them to topics like Nature, Culture, Photography, and Art but often fall prey to other genres.
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You crazy. That is all.
I was nervous the entire time. Such courage. And beautifully told. "Dances with snakes".
And congratulations on getting draft 3 complete.