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The Irula Co-operative Venom Centre, India

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2009

Romulus Whitaker and
Harry V. Andrews
Romulus Whitaker
Affiliation:
Director, Centre for Herpetology, Madras Crocodile Bank, Post Bag 4, Mamallapuram 603 104, Tamil Nadu, India.
Harry V. Andrews
Affiliation:
Deputy Director, Centre for Herpetology, Madras Crocodile Bank, Post Bag 4, Mamallapuram 603 104, Tamil Nadu, India.
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Abstract

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When the Indian Government banned the export of snakeskins in 1976, the Irulas – a tribal people whose traditional skills included snake-catching – lost a major source of income. The authors describe how the Irula Co-operative Venom Centre was established to replace this lost income and at the same time exploit a valuable wildlife resource in a way that is apparently sustainable. More research is needed, however, to ensure that the project is viable in the long term.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Oryx , Volume 29 , Issue 2 , April 1995, pp. 129 - 135
Copyright
Copyright © Fauna and Flora International 1995

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