Snake Awareness Rescue and Protection App (SARPA) has enabled the Forest department to rescue over 22,000 snakes, Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran informed the Assembly on Thursday.
Since its launch in August 2020, the mobile application has enabled the department to streamline rescue operations of snakes from human habitations and reduce the incidence of snakebite cases in the State.
Mr. Saseendran said as many as 26,420 snakes had been reported from human-habitated areas until July 2023, according to the data recorded by SARPA. Of these, 22,062 snakes had been rescued. While over a hundred people used to die of snakebites every year, this had considerably fallen since the portal had been introduced.
He added the department had imparted training in snake catching using scientific techniques to 3,208 people, of which 1,866 people had been issued licences. A majority of the licensees were forest personnel, he pointed out.
