‘Don’t harm animals’ says policeman who doubles up as a ‘snake catcher’

‘Our planet needs these living beings for survival’

by Suresh Perera

Catching venomous reptiles is child’s play to Amila Madusanka, a serving policeman in Wanduramba, whose services are frequently sought by terrified villagers when serpents sneak into their homes or gardens in this township, 17kms off Galle.

“I have rescued hundreds of snakes so far and released them safely to the Kottawa jungle”, says Madusanka, a Police Constable attached to the Wanduramba police station.

He said he has handled rattlesnakes, cobras, pythons, krait and a range of other highly venomous vertebrates.

The other day, he was informed by some villagers in Lelawala garden No. 2 about some snakelets crawling around.

“I visited the village and on examining the environs found 42 baby snakes inside a tree hollow. They were all rescued and safely released to the wild”, Madusanka recalled.

He said that he had also rescued around 400 snakelets in the past.

Madusanka said he joined the Special Task Force (STF) initially and during jungle training in small groups, many were the deadly reptiles he had come across.

“The important lesson we learned was not to harm them or any animal for that matter. When we show compassion towards these beings, they won’t harm us”, he stressed.

“That’s exactly what I do when catching these venomous vertebrates. When they realize that I mean no harm, they don’t turn hostile. People are attacked by snakes because they panic and drive fear into the creatures”, Madusanka explained.

“Even when I am on duty, people seek my services to handle venomous snakes. At my own expense, I do my part to help save the lives of these living beings”, he outlined.

He said that villagers have now taken his advice not to kill serpents found in their homes or gardens. “I have told them that they can always call me if they are unable to drive the snakes back to a safe location”.

Madusanka says the message he wants to convey is – ‘don’t harm our dumb friends because every little animal in the ecosystem has a vital role to play for the well-being of the planet”.

(The Sunday Island appreciates the support extended by Rohan Silva, Senior DIG in charge of the Southern province in this regard)