Controversial snake catcher Vava Suresh was booked by the Kerala Forest Department for exhibiting a cobra while taking a class at the Kozhikode Government Medical college on November 28. The case was filed by the Range Forest Officer, Thamarassery, as ordered by the Divisional Forest Officer, Kozhikode. He was booked under Sections 9 (prohibition of hunting) and 40 (prohibiting the possession and custody of the reptile) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act.
Vava Suresh spoke about ‘Experiences with Snakes’ at an event organised by the Nursing department of the medical college. He displayed the cobra right next to his mike while delivering his speech. He also spoke about the aftereffects of snakebites.
Vava Suresh has been criticised many times in the past over his unscientific way of catching snakes and for dangerously displaying them. According to him, he has been bitten by snakes more than 100 times. He was also admitted in hospital many times in critical condition following snake bites. The last incident was in January 2022, when he was badly bitten by a cobra and admitted to the Kottayam Medical College hospital for many days. Suresh was trying to place the cobra inside a gunny bag while holding it by its tail upside down, when it suddenly bit him on his right thigh.
Though the forest department had introduced a snake-catching licence for snake rescuers in the state, Vava Suresh has refused to follow the methods prescribed by the department which invited huge criticism against him from various other snake rescuers. Speaking to TNM earlier, he had said that he had enough experience, much more than any other snake rescuer, and maintained that training was not necessary for him.
There have also been criticisms against the Forest Department for allowing him to catch snakes without a licence. Speaking to TNM, Suresh had said that he receives a number of phone calls daily from across Kerala seeking his help to catch snakes.