Snakes in Delhi: The Reptile Problem of the Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games have had their fair share of problems since they have started and even before then. Delhi is a city with some unique issues of its own that the organisers and the athletes have to deal with. One of these issues made itself abundantly clear since the start of the Games, snakes. Snakes are a common phenomenon in India and they can be seen in many different parts of the country. The problem for the Games organisers is that a few snakes were found in the rooms of athletes and also in the sports venues. Recently some help has been called in to deal with the reptiles and we will have to wait and see if it pays off.
There are four main venomous types of snakes in India. These are known to cause the largest number of deaths in the country and people being bitten by them is a common occurrence. The big four are the Indian cobra, the common krait, Russell’s viper and the saw-scaled viper. Even though the antidote for the venom of these four species is widely available all over India, it is still a huge problem for the government and for the citizens of the country. Organisations have sprung up that try to effectively deal with the problem and remove the snakes from the cities and place them back in the wild.
The Commonwealth Games are underway at the moment in Delhi and a lot of interesting happenings as well as controversies have been seen over the last few weeks. The problem of animals was one of the major concerns for the event organisers; especially the problem of monkeys. Monkeys like snakes are a huge issue in India and at the moment the government has found a temporary solution to the problem. They have placed larger monkeys around the venues to scare away the pesky smaller monkeys. They are trying a different tactic when it comes to the snake problem in and around the Games venues.
There have been several reports of players and organisers finding snakes around the stadiums of the Games. Recently an athlete found a snake in his room during his stay at the athletes’ accommodation facilities. The South African participant found the large snake in his room and luckily for him and for the organisers nothing bad happened. Another large snake was found in the tennis stadium. This particularly large cobra was found slithering about on the ground near the tennis courts. Recently a few strategies have been devised to rid the Games of this problem.
The snakes slip in through cracks in the walls and openings in fences that are placed all around the stadium and the athletes’ village. Organisers have rushed to close gaps in walls and fences in an effort to keep the venomous creatures out. Also the Games organisers have taken to hiring local snake charmers who are paid about £14 per snake they catch. It is a good deal for them and also helps to ensure the safety of the athletes. An animal welfare organisation called Wildlife SOS has also been employed to work with the snake charmers and capture and release as many snakes into the wild as they can.
The biggest cause for concern regarding snakes is that if an athlete is bitten by one and happens to die, it will completely ruin and taint the Games. India’s brand image and the image of the Games will be tarnished and it will very hard for it to recover. The Indian government really does not want the country to be seen as an unsafe venue for people to visit because that can also negatively impact on the nation’s bid to host the Olympic Games and other major sporting events in the future.
Hopefully nothing of the sort will occur during the remainder of the Games, and the athletes will return home having had a wonderful and enjoyable time. It may take some more effort to get the snake problem fully under control but the Indian government is doing an admirable job of it so far and it looks like the Games will finish on a high note.
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