World Snake Day 2018 Date: Know Why a Dedicated Day to Serpents Is Celebrated

Snakes, these elongated reptiles are not really pleasing to everyone. But as much as people fear or have contrary ideas attached to these slithering beings, there are also a large number of snake-loving people. Wildlife enthusiasts especially are fascinated by the serpentines and admire the variety in the species. These slithering reptiles are found all over the world except the continent of Antarctica. July 16, worldwide is celebrated as World Snake Day to create more awareness and remove all the wrong notions people have about them. Rare Ornate Flying Snake Rescued in Odisha, See Picture and Know More About The Species.

History of World Snake Day:

There is no specific note as to who started these celebrations of why this particular day is chosen. But this day has been one way of educating the people about different species that exist in the world and also how to deal with them if they come across one. The very first instinct most people have about snakes is fear, this day in a way tries to counter that. People assume that any snake that they see is a venomous one and thus have an instinct to kill it. But of all the species in the world, only one-fourth are venomous, and they would rather avoid human contact if they could.

This day brings together snake lovers, snake-friends, rescuers, wildlife enthusiasts and specialists together to marvel about this wonderful reptile. The celebrations involve conducting awareness programmes about the species. Some NGOs come along, or zoos come forward and mark celebrations for this day. Albino Cobra Hatchling Rescued in Bengaluru, In a First A Two-Day Old Rare Snake Was Found.

Snakes have also played an important role in mythology. Snakes are in fact, the oldest known mythological characters that have been revered for decades. The earliest known carved representation of them was nearly 12,000 years ago in Turkey. There is a mention of them in religious books from the Bible to the Mahabharata, yet, the ideas relating to them are distorted. So to clear out the negatives, inform people and also teach how to respond or who to call in case of an emergency, the day remains significant.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 16, 2018 04:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).