Guest guest Posted July 15, 2005 Report Share Posted July 15, 2005 Below is a letter to editor from a concerned reader. Can someone please let me know how defanging is being carried out and whether these vipers will be able to survive after defanging? Another question: Is it alright for prolonged handling of snakes especially for photographic session where they are normally placed around the neck of the tourist? Can the ACRES delegates help me with this answer? Yitze Friends of the Earth Malaysia From Malaysiakini Snake Temple wasn’t built for the snakes K Temoc Jul 15, 05 1:30pm Many stories have sprung up surrounding the Snake Temple of Penang, more formally known as the Temple of Azure Clouds. But what is very clear is that the temple is not about snake-worship, as its commonly used name may imply. There is no snake worship among the Chinese in Malaysia, unlike parts of Hindu India. The temple is dedicated to the deity Chor Soo Kong. Why the snakes congregated at this temple remains unknown, but their presence has been totally irrelevant to the worship of the principal deity for which the temple had been built. And not all visitors have been worshipers. A good percentage had been tourists, from Malaysia or abroad. Because of this, in recent times, the last 30 years or so, the temple has been specially promoted as a unique tourist attraction, the only snake temple in the world where visitors may walk among the snakes. So the fame of the temple brought visitors from near and far, adding to the prosperity of the locals. Unfortunately mankind does not know how to respect a good thing when it has been enjoying one. For a start, unthinking temple management permitted the construction of too many stalls at the temple's front. The average tourist would be intimidated by the 'gauntlet' of annoying and unsightly vendor stalls leading up to the temple. The temple authorities have either instituted or tolerated a culture of aggressive and very shameful donation seeking from visitors. Then, worst of all, fewer snakes have been coming to the temple. The ophidian population has slowly dwindled down to a worrying few; worrying, that is, only to the temple management. Because whether there are snakes or not is totally irrelevant to the worship of the temple deity. What caused the snakes to dwindle in numbers have been the rampant neighbourhood development of highways and housing estates. Or if one wants to provide a religious reason, the incurring of the divine wrath of Chor Soo Kong by the temple committee's tasteless merchandising and alms-seeking. The committee seems to have forgotten what the temple had been built for by our forefathers. It's a place of worship, not a tourist venue or a zoo or a curio-vending centre. If the tourists want to visit the temple, well and good, but the primary purpose of the temple must not be forgotten nor altered. The snakes are totally irrelevant. If the vipers come in on their own will as they have done so over the last two centuries, then that would be a bonus for the temple's attraction, but it's not a mandatory religious requirement. Feeding of kept snakes requires live prey, as snakes are fastidious carnivores and will not voluntarily eat lumps of meat or dead prey. This means that the zoo-keeper will have to offer, or rather sacrifice smaller live creatures like frogs, mice, chicken (and may I recommend the temple committee members and the temple vendors too). This is a form of killing that shouldn't be conducted in a temple, especially one that claims a Buddhist connection. And the practice of de-fanging snakes to indulge tourists with photographic opportunities is an unspeakable cruel practice, particularly more so when it's done in a holy venue. The decreasing viper population is an indication, a warning of how humans have destroyed its surroundings, and represents a wake-up call to reflect on what can be done to remedy this environmental-ecological loss. Perhaps the constructing of special eco-snake-paths leading from nearby bushland or undeveloped areas, as have been cleverly done overseas. If I may paraphrase, the temple committee ‘can't see the temple for the snakes’. Ironically for a Chinese temple, what it really needs now is a Jesus-character to chase those merchants including the temple committee away, and restore the place back to the worshipers, and perhaps to the snakes too. _______________ Get an advanced look at the new version of MSN Messenger. http://messenger.msn.com.my/Beta/Default.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 15, 2005 Report Share Posted July 15, 2005 Dear Yitze, Here is the Explanation according to me. 1. In India, the defanging is carried out by notching the fangs of snakes when they are alive to the tree then the charmers hit the fangs through the stone and the fangs remains in tree. It is worst Cruel. 2. If the chrarmer force feed egg or beef, chicken piecses then the snake will survive but if not force fed, snake will die. 3. In India, Our Wildlife Protection Act 1972 prohibits anyone from keeping, breeding, exhibitng, phography of all kinds snakes. So the Animal Activists rescue the snakes from charmers & hand them over to Forest / Wildlife Dept or nearst Wildlife rescue rehabilitation center. Till the date I personally rescued atleast 100 snnake in past 7 yrs. through my charity PAWS. 4. Please check in your country is there any such law, if it exsists the certainly you can take leagl action against them. 5. Else You find & send the address of Temple Trust/Office to AAPN group, I am sure everybody in group will write a protest letter to Temple Trust. Regards, Nilesh PAWS - India ............................................ On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 yitze ling wrote : >Below is a letter to editor from a concerned reader. Can someone please let >me know how defanging is being carried out and whether these vipers will be >able to survive after defanging? Another question: Is it alright for >prolonged handling of snakes especially for photographic session where they >are normally placed around the neck of the tourist? Can the ACRES delegates >help me with this answer? > >Yitze >Friends of the Earth Malaysia > > > From Malaysiakini > >Snake Temple wasn’t built for the snakes >K Temoc >Jul 15, 05 1:30pm > >Many stories have sprung up surrounding the Snake Temple of Penang, more >formally known as the Temple of Azure Clouds. But what is very clear is that >the temple is not about snake-worship, as its commonly used name may imply. >There is no snake worship among the Chinese in Malaysia, unlike parts of >Hindu India. > >The temple is dedicated to the deity Chor Soo Kong. Why the snakes >congregated at this temple remains unknown, but their presence has been >totally irrelevant to the worship of the principal deity for which the >temple had been built. > >And not all visitors have been worshipers. A good percentage had been >tourists, from Malaysia or abroad. Because of this, in recent times, the >last 30 years or so, the temple has been specially promoted as a unique >tourist attraction, the only snake temple in the world where visitors may >walk among the snakes. > >So the fame of the temple brought visitors from near and far, adding to the >prosperity of the locals. Unfortunately mankind does not know how to respect >a good thing when it has been enjoying one. > >For a start, unthinking temple management permitted the construction of too >many stalls at the temple's front. The average tourist would be intimidated >by the 'gauntlet' of annoying and unsightly vendor stalls leading up to the >temple. The temple authorities have either instituted or tolerated a culture >of aggressive and very shameful donation seeking from visitors. > >Then, worst of all, fewer snakes have been coming to the temple. The >ophidian population has slowly dwindled down to a worrying few; worrying, >that is, only to the temple management. Because whether there are snakes or >not is totally irrelevant to the worship of the temple deity. > >What caused the snakes to dwindle in numbers have been the rampant >neighbourhood development of highways and housing estates. Or if one wants >to provide a religious reason, the incurring of the divine wrath of Chor Soo >Kong by the temple committee's tasteless merchandising and alms-seeking. > >The committee seems to have forgotten what the temple had been built for by >our forefathers. It's a place of worship, not a tourist venue or a zoo or a >curio-vending centre. If the tourists want to visit the temple, well and >good, but the primary purpose of the temple must not be forgotten nor >altered. The snakes are totally irrelevant. > >If the vipers come in on their own will as they have done so over the last >two centuries, then that would be a bonus for the temple's attraction, but >it's not a mandatory religious requirement. > >Feeding of kept snakes requires live prey, as snakes are fastidious >carnivores and will not voluntarily eat lumps of meat or dead prey. This >means that the zoo-keeper will have to offer, or rather sacrifice smaller >live creatures like frogs, mice, chicken (and may I recommend the temple >committee members and the temple vendors too). This is a form of killing >that shouldn't be conducted in a temple, especially one that claims a >Buddhist connection. > >And the practice of de-fanging snakes to indulge tourists with photographic >opportunities is an unspeakable cruel practice, particularly more so when >it's done in a holy venue. > >The decreasing viper population is an indication, a warning of how humans >have destroyed its surroundings, and represents a wake-up call to reflect on >what can be done to remedy this environmental-ecological loss. Perhaps the >constructing of special eco-snake-paths leading from nearby bushland or >undeveloped areas, as have been cleverly done overseas. > >If I may paraphrase, the temple committee ‘can't see the temple for the >snakes’. Ironically for a Chinese temple, what it really needs now is a >Jesus-character to chase those merchants including the temple committee >away, and restore the place back to the worshipers, and perhaps to the >snakes too. > >_______________ >Get an advanced look at the new version of MSN Messenger. >http://messenger.msn.com.my/Beta/Default.aspx > > > > > >For more information on Asian animal issues, please use the search feature on the AAPN website: http://www.aapn.org/ or search the list archives at: aapn >Please feel free to send any relevant news or comments to the list at aapn > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2005 Report Share Posted July 16, 2005 Dear Yitze, In India we pray to most of the animals because they are helping us directly or indirectly. In South India there is a big Festival for Snakes called “Nagula Chavithiâ€. Snakes eat rats and helps the farmers indirectly. So there is old custom that on that particular day devotees go to the Snake pits and offer prayers. But now a days it is very difficult to find Snake pits in the cities so taking this advantage some of the Snake charmers catch the Snakes (especially Cobras) 10 days before this festival and they remove the fangs with any sharp tool (knife, cutting player etc.,). On the festival day they stitch the snake mouth with nylon thread and exhibit the snakes. All the devotees offer Milk, eggs and sweets after putting vermilion and sandal paste on their hoods. By afternoon the snakes will die due to suffocation and the snake charmer will remove the skin and throws the flesh into the gutter. Though we have Wildlife Protection Act for saving the snakes it is a very sensitive issue due to religious feelings. Because of this custom initially when we started saving the snakes public used to oppose us but due to our constant awareness and educational programmes now the public supports us and we stopped this activity with the help Forest Department. For stopping such activities: We have to give constant press notes related to the cruel methods they use for capturing the Snakes and defanging. If we have Law related to the protection of Snakes it helps us authentically. if we don’t have also we can always approach the Government to pass the resolution accordingly. Most important thing is to Educate the public with out their help we may not be successful. All the best Hope you do more service to save the Snakes. Regards, Swathi. VSPCA- India A stitched mouth of the Cobra being displayed on the occasion of " Nagachaviti " festival. On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 yitze ling wrote : >Below is a letter to editor from a concerned reader. Can someone please let >me know how defanging is being carried out and whether these vipers will be >able to survive after defanging? Another question: Is it alright for >prolonged handling of snakes especially for photographic session where they >are normally placed around the neck of the tourist? Can the ACRES delegates >help me with this answer? > >Yitze >Friends of the Earth Malaysia > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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