About Phyton

‘We have enslaved the rest of the animal creation and have treated our distance cousins so badly that beyond doubt, if they were able to formulate a religion , they would depict the devil in human form’ – William Ralph Inge 

As almost every animal has been tortured by human for their need and growing greed in one form or another, on this ‘World Snake Day’ let’s talk about Pythons.

With the oldest python fossil found in Germany, dated back to 47 million years ago, Pythons have been existing and thriving on this earth way before traces of humans. These constricting species of snakes in Pythonidae family is native to tropics and subtropics of Eastern Hemisphere mainly found in Asia, Africa, and Australia. The main species are Indian rock python (India), Burmese Python (Southeast Asia) , African Ball Python( Africa ),  Reticulated Python( South and Southeast Asia).  The world’s longest nonvenomous snake species are ambush predators, perfect in camouflaging. Their good agility has made them survived this long time on earth but since past few decades they have been hunted for human needs and killed unnecessarily for our greeds. 

The most beautiful part of a snake’s body is its delicate skin, with exquisite and unique colourful patterns and prints. Their skin is ornately patterned with eye catching scales. Snakeskin is used in clothing items such as vests, belts, boots, shoes, handbags, and wallets. Pythons being the largest snakes their one single skin can be used to make one bag, boot or other items which make them the perfect choice for snakeskin. Python leather grows more beautiful and elegant over time, this makes them most desired in this market. 

Also, python meat is used as bushmeat and it’s organs and blood is used in some Asian and African traditional medicine to treat diseases such as asthma and boosting virility. In African culture it is also used in superstition practices such as accident prevention and more. 

As possessing snakeskin items has been a hot luxury trends in past few years, it has led to the snakeskin trade to new dimensions. With the cost of breeding, feeding, and monitoring snakes to reach slaughter size in captive breeding the cost of snakeskin framing is much higher and that’s why it’s traded illegally on a vast scale. 

Even after many python species are protected, many Asian countries as Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam are involved in snakeskin trading and exporting same to the US and European fashion and leather industries.  The global trade in python skin is worth 1 billion dollar per year. 

In other countries Python are bred in captive breeding farms, they are killed mercilessly or mostly skinned or peeled alive for their skin. As shedded skin is not considered as a valuable product in snakeskin market, they are killed cruelly. Pythons are struck on the head with their body filled with water to loosen up the skin to peel easily.  

This is so brutal and there is no humane about it.  one luxury brand Kering which owns fashion brand Gucci, saint Laurent is building its own python farm in Thailand to raise its own snakes in best condition but it’s totally unethical to kill and to torture any animal for any lucrative and profitable products.

This snakeskin business is also a danger to human health as there is a lot of population is working in these farms and also in illegal hunting of pythons. 

Although Pythons are nonvenomous snake species, they are a reservoir of many pathogens, parasites and pentastomids diseases. If human animal contact is not regulated it can become a major public health concern. As python meat is used for human consumption it can easily be a potential source of life-threatening zoonotic disease. 

To prevent extinction of these beautiful creatures of our earth there are some ways they can be helped

• More strict laws for protected species.
• Monitoring of illegal poaching, farming, and trading of snakeskin.
• Stop promotion of these luxurious products as production is always driven by consumption.