Karnataka gets first-of-its-kind WhatsApp chatbot for snakebite awareness
Bengaluru: To bring more awareness about snakebite prevention as well as to prevent snake persecution, a first-of-its-kind WhatsApp chatbot has been launched in Mysuru.
Incidentally, in February, Karnataka also became the first state in India to declare snakebite as a notifiable disease.
The chatbot, launched by Humane Society International (HSI) India in collaboration with The Liana Trust, an organisation that engages in conservation efforts by educating people, provides easily accessible information about snake species found in Mysuru.
They also provide lifesaving snakebite first-aid, snakebite prevention tips, and myth-busting around misinformation about snakes that can lead to acts of cruelty.
“Snakebite is a mass problem which requires a mass solution. As per our survey in the Mysuru district, WhatsApp is one of the most used digital apps. Hence, this is an easy platform to reach many people with vital information that could save human lives and prevent snake persecution. Just as preventing a bite from occurring is important, knowing the right first aid once a bite occurs is crucial too,” said Vinod Krishnan, Human-wildlife Coexistence Manager at HSI India.
According to Krishnan, people have an innate fear of snakes mostly due to lack of information about them. This often leads to snakes being killed or relocated to alien habitats where they have little chance of survival. The chatbot is meant to address this information vacuum and empower local communities to take swift and informed action when snakes are encountered.
The automated chatbot, accessed via a QR code or messaging 'Hi' to +91 9154190472 disseminates engaging visual content in English or Kannada, making it easy to understand.
The aim is to reach at least one lakh users by this year to foster coexistence with snakes, added Krishnan.
India witnesses 10 lakh snakebites a year leading to nearly 58,000 human snakebite-related deaths annually and nearly 2 lakh cases of morbidity. Karnataka alone reported 6,500 snakebites in 2023, stated a press release issued by HSI India.
It is also a neglected tropical disease classified by the World Health Organisation, taking a devastating toll on the socioeconomics of households and the mental health of those affected, according to the statement.
Gerry Martin, founder of The Liana Trust, said the chatbot will also aid policymakers. “The chatbot is a great way to have a continuous dialogue with the community, assess the information they are accessing the most, and add further layers to this such as information on the nearest hospital, ambulance services, and so on in the future.”
Incidentally, India launched the National Action Plan for prevention of snakebite envenoming -- a potentially life-threatening disease caused by toxins in the bite of a venomous snake, according to the WHO -- on March 12, which directed states to draw up their plans to halve deaths and disabilities due to snakebites by 2030.
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
