Whats the deal with this?

[hassman789]

Hey I found this video today. I'm no expert on snakes at all but is this some sort of colbra (which is very dangerous right?) and theres a baby playing with it? I would assume it's safe because the baby is unharmed by it. Did they like extraxt it's fangs or somthing? Is that possible?

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[pavel]

That is indeed a cobra. In what I consider to be a rather disgusting practice, snake charmers often sew the snake's mouth shut so they will not be bitten during performances. I seem to recall that in order to help insure that their children -- who may be trained in their father's vocation -- grow up without a fear of the snakes, expose them as babies to such mouth sewn snakes.

 

[ballpythonteen]

that is a cobra i belive that the cobras mouth was threaded shut they also do this with cobras for the "snake Charmers" i have also heard of them cutting off the fangs so they are then harmless to people just to make a buck right

 

[hassman789]

Oh thats horrible!

 

[the toe cutter]

Yes it is quite horrific to mutilate animals for simple entertainment. But with the removal of fangs, or the crude and cruel surgical procedures of removing the venom duct or venom sac from local street vets comes the snakes ability of replacing or growing them back. If they make it through the process without too bad of an infection and have proper analgesia! Fangs break off often, especially in solenoglyphous fanged snakes(Cortalidae and Viperidae) and are replaced by new ones much in the same way that a sharks are(rows of fangs). And as for the sewing of the mouths though this seems dooming to the snake, most nowadays simply cut the thread after a good few weeks of entertaining and either take the animals to the local venom research facility for milking which in turn gets them some money, or place them back in the wild. While I am in absolutely in no way remotely even implying that I condone this behavior, it is a part of their culture and has been practised since the earliest Indian civilizations more than 6000 years ago. Snakes are associated in some way or another with most of the Hindu gods, especially so with Lord Shiva. And the Puranas and other scriptures teach to honor and revere snakes. If you would like to see/read some more non-lethal and interesting things about Indian snake charmers/harvesters/festivals check out the Irula tribe and their work with venom research laboratories and also the Nag Panchami Festival. India today is changing their attitudes toward their flora and fauna and alot of things that used to spell death for animals such as these, is not the case anymore. The Irula people for instance who used to be famed for catching and eradicating snakes are now making their living catching snakes and bringing them to venom research labs for milking to make anti-venin with no death to the animals involved. Though obviously this is not always the case! But I just thought I would add perhaps another point of view even though I do not agree with venomoids,de-fanging or other mutilation of wildlife.