Puttur doctor breeds 25 cobras, 18 pythons to life

Hundreds of snakes, if not thousands, after getting treatment from Dr Aithal would have found a re-birth because of him as he treats injured snakes and trans-locates them to nearby forested area.

This week, he gave re-birth to 25 cobras and 18 pythons.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Dr Aithal said that a certain Raghavendra Mayya of Manjalpadpu in Puttur found 25 eggs of cobra when labourers were levelling his land. As a usual practise in the region, Mayya informed Dr Aithal about the eggs, who in turn promptly brought the same to his home.

He not only made arrangements for artificial method of hatching, but also succeeded in breeding all the 25 baby cobras.

18 pythons

At the same time, in another incident, when a farmer was cutting grass at Saligrama, he found 18 eggs of python, who promptly handed over the same to Dr Aithal.

Dr Aithal using natural methods (unlike using artificial incubator) with the help of a wooden box was successful in breeding all the 18 baby pythons.

“The female python incubates for about 50 to 60 days without taking any food or water. But if they are disturbed, they simply move from the place and don’t return,” informed Dr Aithal and adds: “If it completes its incubation period and the moment the babies come out, then too, the python leaves its babies and go.”

As usual, Dr Aithal has released all the 43 baby snakes in the Bisle ghat reserve forest.

World of snakes

It is a delight to watch Dr Aithal’s live specimen home ‘Bana’ (earlier known as ‘Sarpa Loka’) with over 20 species of snakes (mostly pairs) including the King Cobra, Cobra, Common Krait, Pit Viper, Russell’s Viper, Saw Scaled Viper, Bamboo Pit Viper and non-poisonous snakes like Common Worm Snake, Python, Brown Sand Boa, Stripped Kneel Back and Branded Racer, Flying Snake, Wolf Snake, Bronz Back Tree Snake among others.

Aithal who originally hails from Saligrama in Udupi made Puttur his home 26 years ago when he shifted his base here as a bank employee.

A certified homeopath, Dr Aithal after serving in a co-operative bank in Puttur for five years quit the job and started practicing Ayurveda medicine a family tradition he inherited from his mother.

They say the children inherit the qualities of parents. True to the belief, Dr Aithal’s daughters Hasta Aithal and Krithika Aithal too play with snakes, just like the way other kids of their age play with toys.

“It is sad that majority of the people possess undue fear towards snakes and kill these cold blooded animals,” regrets Dr Aithal, who is on a mission to create awareness among the people.

A brief discussion with Dr Aithal and a visit to his ‘Sarpaloka,’ now renamed ‘Bana’ (Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre) will surely change any person’s perception of snakes.