Life is Precious

It was last year driving through the main highway that a crowd of people organized in a circle caught my attention. It seemed that they were gathered for a ritual and whatever was happening in the centre of the circle had captured their full attention. Naturally, I was curious to find out more.

Pushing my way forward, I found myself looking at a group of four conmen exhibiting exotic species of reptiles, which included several species of snakes and lizards. They seemed to me like a butchering group, putting up a fascinating show, successful in captivating a large audience. But I had this feeling that something very wrong was about to happen and these animals were in some kind of danger.

Meanwhile, one of the conmen stepped ahead and expanded the circle. He also gave a warning to the crowd to keep away as he was about to release the snakes within the circle and assured the crowd that the snakes will not cross the lines that he drew around him with a stick. But as if to prove the conman wrong, or may be seeing what was coming, the snake tried to escape. But, unfortunately, the man grabbed him again and cruelly crushed its back with his foot before lifting him up, and placing a brick on the snakes tail. Although on some level I did expect it, but this heartless act still shocked it.

A man, perhaps in his late thirties and seemed to be the leader of the group, was now standing in the middle of the circle, telling stories about each snake. He picked up one and told everyone how it attacked many people and killed a few. He went on to show off another snake, which belonged to a snake charmer famous for giving snakes out to his daughters as dowry.

At this point, the man started killing off these reptiles animals one by one by cutting off their heads with a knife. He started skinning them while they were still alive and then went on with the other snakes and lizards left. By that time, he was separating several pieces of meat and fat from their bodies and offered the crowd to purchase medicines prepared from them to cure different diseases.

What made me sad that day was not witnessing the barbaric butchering of those snakes and lizards — it was the fact that no one in the crowd stood up and stopped the conman. It seemed like they just did not care.

Love towards wildlife and nature is a subconscious factor but slaughtering them for entertainment purposes is barbaric.

Snakes and lizards are remarkable reptiles, but they have an unearned negative reputation. Some people have even come to fear these magnificent animals, but in reality, these animals have more reasons to fear us.

Kashif Ayoub is Conservation Officer, WWF-Pakistan.