‘Like Uber for snake emergencies’: tech takes the sting out of bites in rural India

Level: Intermediate

1
  Warmer

a. With a partner or in small groups, briefly discuss these questions.

• Are there snakes in your country?

○ If so,
where are you most likely to see one?
are any of them poisonous?
are they protected animals?
○ If not,
do you know why not?

2
  Key Words

a. Find words in the article that match the definitions below. The paragraph numbers are given to
help you.

1. the immediate pain that you feel when an insect or snakebites you
(paragraph 1)

2. a word to describe an animal that can produce poison

(paragraph 2)

3. a product or idea that comes from a particular place or area

(paragraph 3)

4. medical help and care (paragraph 3)

5. treatment for bites from poisonous snakes (paragraph 3)

6. times when you see something, especially something unusual or something that you have been
looking for (paragraph 5)

7. a reaction to something (paragraph 6)

8. very important (paragraph 9)

9. leading to death; causing someone to die (paragraph 12)

10. natural sense and knowledge that guides your behaviour

(paragraph 15)
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 ‘Like Uber for snake emergencies’: tech takes the sting out of bites in rural India
Level: Intermediate
b. Use some of the key words above to complete these sentences.
1. Right now, we are at a time in history.

2. There were a lot of accidents on that road in the past.

3. My first was to run away as fast as possible.

4. of bears in the area only started about five years ago.

5. The doctors had no idea why the wasn’t working.

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 ‘Like Uber for snake emergencies’: tech takes the sting out of bites in rural India
Level: Intermediate
Neeta Lal
20 July, 2021
1 Twelve-year-old Anay Sujith felt a sharp sting
in his leg while asleep in his hut in a village in
Kerala. “I shouted and woke up my parents,”
he says. They immediately got help – not with a
phone call but through an app.
2 A team from Kannur Wildlife Rescuers (KWR)
reached the boy’s home within minutes and he
was in hospital 20 minutes later. He had been
bitten four times by a venomous Russell’s viper,
one of the “big four” snakes in India.
3 SARPA (Snake Awareness, Rescue and
Protection app), which saved Anay’s life, is one
of the life-saving homegrown snake apps in
India that provide information about the snakes,
get people treatment for bites and help doctors
to develop antivenoms.
4 Snakepedia is another app that provides
information on various snakes, with images,
infographics, podcasts and first aid advice for
snakebites.
5 The Serpent app has a guide to all of India’s
snakes and can find the nearest hospital
that treats bites. It can also connect users
in real-time to an expert to help in snakebite
emergencies. The Big Four Mapping Project
shows reported snake sightings and bites
across India.
6 “Snake apps are like Uber for snake
emergencies,” says Jose Louies, who helped
launch Indiansnakes.org and later the Serpent
app. He says apps provide a quick response
to snakebite events through a network
of volunteers managed by local wildlife
departments – which can save both human and
snake lives.
7 “Just through SARPA, we have rescued nearly
2,000 snakes, including 800 cobras, in the first
six months of this year. The app tells users how
many rescuers there are, the number of snakes
rescued and other critical data,” says Louies.
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8 Around 1.2 million people died from snakebites
in India between 2000 and 2019. That’s more
than 58,000 a year.
9 A snakebite victim can survive for five hours
but the first hour is critical. If the victim gets
treatment within this time, chances of his
survival go up significantly.
10 Snakebites are a global health priority,
according to the World Health Organization.
Between 81,000 and 138,000 people around
the world die from snakebites each year, and
about three times that number are left with
permanent disabilities.
11 There are about 3,600 known species of
snakes in the world. More than 300 of those
are found in India, says herpetologist Sandeep
Das. “Out of these 300, only 62 are venomous
or semi-venomous and only four, or the ‘big
four’ – Indian cobra, common krait, Russell’s
viper and saw-scaled viper – cause 95% of all
snakebite deaths in the country,” he says.
12 Many snake attacks are fatal because they
happen in areas without quick access to
medical care. Villagers in the states of Bihar,
Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar
Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh are particularly
in danger, especially during monsoons when
snakes and humans are more likely to come
into contact.
13 Poor farmers walking barefoot in fields are
often in danger, especially as they cannot
afford the expensive snakebite treatment.
14 Snake apps are also helping villagers
understand more about snake types and what
to do in emergencies.
15 “Often, a villager’s first instinct is to kill the
snake the moment they see it. But the apps are
helping to change that. We’re educating them
that killing snakes is illegal, that they should
instead get in touch with certified rescuers who
can save the lives of both man and animal.”
© Guardian News and Media 2021
First published in The Guardian, 20/07/2021
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 ‘Like Uber for snake emergencies’: tech takes the sting out of bites in rural India
Level: Intermediate
3
  Comprehension check

a. Answer the questions with information from the article.

1. How many people die from snakebites in India each year?

2. How many types of snakes cause 95% of these deaths?

3. In total, how many people die from snakebites around the world each year?

4. In India, who is most likely to die from a snakebite and why?

5. Why is using a snakebite app better than making a phone call?

6. Why is it important to get help immediately?

7. How can the apps help snakes?

4
  Key language

a. Join the words on the left with those on the right to make word pairs from the article.

1. first a. care

2. quick b. departments

3. wildlife c. aid

4. critical d. data

5. global e. disabilities

6. permanent f.   rescuers

7. medical g. health

8. certified h. response

b. Now use the word pairs to complete these sentences about the article.

1. Even if you don’t die from an untreated snakebite, you can still be left with
.

2. It is very important that a person gets as soon as possible

after a snakebite.

3. The apps can provide a when someone is bitten by

a snake.

4. They help save the lives of snakes as well as people.

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 ‘Like Uber for snake emergencies’: tech takes the sting out of bites in rural India
Level: Intermediate
5. The rescuers are usually sent out by the in the area.

6. The apps can connect people to experts who can give

advice about how to treat snakebites.

7. Snakebites are a priority because so many people die from

them each year.

8. The apps collect about how many snakes are rescued and
how many rescuers there are.

5
  Discussion

a. What dangerous wild animals live in your country?

• What are they?

• Where do they live?
• Why are they dangerous to humans?
• What should you do if you see one?

6
  In your own words

a. Work in pairs or small groups to create an infographic or information poster. Research

one of the ‘big four’ snakes named in the article or another poisonous snake that lives in
your country.
Include the following information:

• a description of the snake

• information about where it lives
• what it might do if you get close to it
• what to do if it bites someone
• what might happen to you if the snake bites you
• its status (e.g. is it protected, rare, common?)
• any other useful information.

b. Present your work to the class.

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