Meet the snake surgeon of India: Dr K Asokan

Pashu Sandesh, 21st July 2017

Snakes are a group of reptiles comprising more than 3,400 species (More than 20 families are currently recognized, comprising about 500 genera) and found throughout the world on every continent except Antarctica. Out of about 3,400 species of snakes found in the world, about 272 occur in India,  There is growing evidence from long term studies, of worldwide declines in vertebrate populations amphibians, reptiles, and mammals some of these declines can be directly attributable to known causes e.g. pollution, habitat loss, disease, over exploitation, climate change etc. Although there is little evidence that snake populations are in decline, there are reports for other reptiles and there is a consensus among herpetologists that snakes may indeed be disappearing worldwide. A massive number of snakes are being lost each year through the combination of many threats mentioned above. This unnatural decline in snake populations cannot rebound on its own. This is why the conservation of many snake species is required. Without assistance, many snake species simply cannot continue to survive the many hazards we have created for them.

Meet the snake surgeon!

Snakes, by default, inspire fear in most of us. However, for Dr. K.Asokan, Wildlife veterinarian, Forest Veterinary Unit, Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, Tamilnadu state giving these creatures a new lease of life is a passion. His timely surgeries on different species of snakes have saved them from the jaws of death.

Apart from this, Asokan has also worked towards rescuing and rehabilitating snakes back in their natural environment. He tells us that in last three years alone more than 2000 snakes were rescued and rehabilitated in the forest.

Of all the surgeries that he had successfully performed on snakes, Asokan recalls the one on a rat-snake. A Coimbatore-based NGO that works for the welfare of snakes spotted an eight-and-a-half feet long male rat-snake in a deserted part of the city. The members handed over the rat-snake to veterinarian Asokan.

“The rat-snake weighed two kilos and had two very distinct deformities. One was a subcutaneous, fluid filled mass, measuring half cm in diameter on the right lateral aspect of the cranial third of the snake’s body. The second was a multi-lobulated, raised, subcutaneous mass on the left lateral aspect of the snake’s mid-body,” Asokan said.

Asokan performed surgeries on the rat-snake. The wounds were dressed every day and the treatment included administering antibiotics. The snake was kept in an enclosure for a fortnight. By then the wounds had completely healed. A fit and healthy rat-snake was released in its natural environment.

Asokan also shares with us the surgery he performed on a snake to remove a fish hook that was stuck in its throat. Olive Keelback snake is commonly found in water bodies. This species feeds on earthworms. One of the snakes swallowed an earthworm that was pinned to a fishing hook. While this snake managed to digest the earthworm, the hook had already got stuck in its trachea.

“Hooks that get lodged in the mouth or down the throat of snakes need immediate medical attention. They can cause life-threatening injuries when swallowed, and need to be surgically removed,” Asokan said. The snake given oral sedation and was immediately operated upon.

The hook, measuring four-inches, was removed successfully. The snake recovered and was normal in a few days. During recuperation, the snake was given eggs mixed with antibiotics. The snake was released in the water tank.

Asokan said that the snake could have died had it not been brought to the hospital on time. Environmentalists noticed it near the Ukkadam Big Tank in an unconscious state. By nature aquatic snakes are active around water bodies. However, this was not the case with this particular snake. They brought the two-foot long Olive Keelback snake to the Government Veterinary Hospital, Ettimadai, and the rest was nothing short of miracle.

Postoperative Care: 

The physiology of reptiles is entirely temperature-dependent. Therefore, all metabolic activities, including anesthetic drug metabolism, will rely on maintaining the preferred optimal temperature for the species at hand. Common methods to administer supplemental heat include circulating warm-water blankets, administering warm fluids parenterally, raising the temperature in the operating suite, and forced warm-air blankets. We prefer these blankets, because they appear to provide the best homogenous heat without the possibility of skin burns. Therefore, everting suture patterns (for example, horizontal or vertical mattress) are recommended to ensure opposition of tissue without future dysecdysis  (    The entire skin is shed on a regular basis, often two to four times a year. The frequency depends upon the rapidity of growth, age, nutritional state, size and environmental factors.)In addition, skin staples have been advocated, because they cause mild eversion of the skin. Sterile surgical tissue adhesive can be useful for closing the skin, although care must be taken to evert the skin when applying the adhesive. Given the length of time needed for reptile wounds to heal, sutures should not be removed until at least 6 wk after surgery. Ecdysis may lead to the premature loss of skin sutures. Dysecdysis is an expected consequence of surgical incisions (particularly in snakes), and future management of the reptile surgical patient should anticipate for this condition.

Oral feeding:

A feeding gun or tube can also be used to feed snakes. The rubber tube should be smooth and soft with a length of 10 to 20 cm. The tube should be smeared with liquid paraffin for easy passage. Different types of feed can be administered to a snake through a syringe, including milk, egg and multivitamin while withdrawing the tube care should be taken that the fangs do not get stuck in the tube.

A few hours after the surgery the snake was fed with egg mixed with antibiotic medicines with a tube let into its mouth.' The snake may not be able to feed on its regular prey unless its wounds are healed completely. "The same food of egg mixed with medicine (10-20ml) was given for the snake for another one week alternative days.

The wounds were dressed on alternative days using a cream of  antibiotics .The snakes were kept under observation for about 30 days and later on released into the wild after healing the wound and suture removed.

Suture material:

Reptiles may lack proteolytic enzymes that are involved in suture material degradation; therefore catgut should not be used. Materials that are absorbed by hydrolysis are preferable. The use of attached a traumatic needles will decrease tissue trauma. Skin incisions tend to invert so an everting suture pattern was used. Do not use continuous suture pattern in areas of stress (e.g. horizontal mattress, staples). Shed skin may adhere in the areas of the healed surgical wounds for several sheds postoperatively. This can be gently removed.

Wound healing:

Surgical incisions in reptiles undergo the same phases of healing as mammalian wounds but strengthen much more slowly. Factors affecting wound healing would include ambient temperature, hygiene, orientation (longitudinal wounds heal more quickly). Leave sutures in for at least three to six weeks. Suture removal should be performed after the ecdysis subsequent to surgery. The shed skin usually sticks in the sutured area for several ecdyses postoperatively, but can be gently peeled away.

Post-operative wound care:

Used a warm post-operative environment. The snake was kept in an enclosed structure to pre-vent ants and insects from biting its wound. "Once its wounds heal completely, it will be released into the wild:

Captive Birth:

While he served as Zoo Director of the V.O.C. Mini Zoological Park, Asokan until 2004 had overseen the birth of 22 Indian Rock Pythons, 43 Russell Vipers, 48 Green Vein snakes, and 22 cobras in the zoo. All the snakes were released in to the forest.He is aware that a majority of the public fear the sight of these creatures. He intends to organize awareness programs on snakes in schools and colleges in the city.

Cases documented here were not only successful but left no readily detectable evidence of surgery within a short time. Effective recovery was within a short time .Effective recovery was within days as evidenced by rapid healing of wounds and routine voluntary feeding by snakes.