Punnayur: After spending 38 years abroad, Veeran Kutty of Pallipparambil House in Edakkazhiyur returned home, hoping to settle into a peaceful retirement.

Catching snakes was then just a pastime for him. But as word of his skill spread across the locality, Veeran Kutty soon found himself constantly on call and hardly had time to stay at home. Later, when he entered the fray in the last panchayat elections seeking votes, the locals readily backed him and elected him as their ward member.

Veeran Kutty’s father, the late Abubacker, was also known for catching snakes, and accompanying him on such occasions sparked Veeran Kutty’s interest in the activity. Four years ago, when a call came reporting the sighting of a snake in the compound of the Edakkazhiyur mosque, he rushed to the spot and caught it. That incident marked the beginning of a new role in life for Veeran Kutty. Soon, calls for help in catching snakes began pouring in from Chavakkad, Punnayur, Punnayurkulam and Vadakkekad panchayats.

As the activity became more frequent, he underwent training from the Forest Department and became a certified snake catcher. Veeran Kutty is also a member of the Sarpa Team, which works for snake conservation and he offers his services free of cost.

However, Veeran Kutty complains that the Forest Department does not provide even essential equipment such as snake catching sticks and bags. Often, after catching snakes, he has to keep them safely at home for days while waiting for Forest Department officials to arrive and take them away. The absence of proper bags makes the task difficult. In fact, five snakes he had caught recently were taken away by officials only on Thursday.

Veeran Kutty was elected from Ward 12 of the Punnayur panchayat in the recent local body elections as a UDF candidate. Before going abroad, he had also served for five years as the Youth Congress mandalam president. He lives with his wife and three children.