Meet Vava Suresh, A Wildlife Conservationist Who Has Saved More Than 100 King Cobras

A phone rings....

: Hello, is this Vava Suresh? A panicked voice from the other end asks.

: Yes

: Sir, there is a snake inside my house. Please help!

: Sure, where is this?

And, just like that Vava Suresh is off, for his duty, just like any other day.

Suresh, popularly known as Vava Suresh is on his way to 'rescue' a deadly snake which strayed into a human habitat.

Often he comes face to face with highly venomous reptiles like king cobra, cobra and vipers.

The wildlife conservationist from Kerala has so far rescued 113 king cobras, considered the one of the deadliest snakes on earth. For Suresh, it is the mission of his life, and the 42-year-old take it seriously, fully aware of the dangers involved.

That is because Suresh by his own estimate has been bitten by snakes 3,883 times and out of them, 387 have been by venomous snakes.

In his nearly 28-year-long career Suresh has some really close shaves with his life, being admitted in ICU for over a dozen times. The 'Snake Man' says he survived with the prayers family and wellwishers so far and has no intentions to slow down whatsoever.

Speaking to Indiatimes Suresh, a resident of Kerala's capital Thiruvananthapuram said he caught his first snake when he was a school kid.

"The first snake that I ever caught was a cobra. It was just a curiosity of during that age. I was returning from school and saw a snake by a streamside. I picked it up and took it home. Obviously they freaked out and asked me to throw it away. But this only increased my curiosity about the snakes, which everyone was scared of."

And that is how it all started. After completing school, Suresh, whom his mother fondly calls 'Vava' (which means baby) decided to dedicate his life to study snakes.

Since then, he has travelled all over Kerala, to save snakes and other wild creatures coming into conflict with humans.

At times, Suresh said he risks his own life while trying to save the snakes.

"There have been times where I spent 7-8 hours trying to capture a snake. At times the snake will on some tree tops and while I try to keep it in control, it will keep moving from one branch to another, making my job difficult."

Ever the showman, Suresh who enjoys a superhero-like image in Kerala is always aware of the dangers involved. That is because Suresh had many close shaves with death. The risks, he says has however not deterred him from doing his duty.

The 42-year-old who lives with his family said their support has been vital in his mission.

"Initially my mother and siblings had opposed what I was doing, because of the risks. Now since they have realised that they cannot change me, my family is okay with my work."

The snakes he rescue is later released to forests, away from human contact where both the side are less likely to come into conflict with.

On the days when he is not out somewhere battling with a deadly snake, Suresh will be meeting people, speaking at seminars to create awareness about snakes. On an average day, Mr Suresh says he receives more than 200 calls from across the state, asking doubts or complaining about snakes.

He has one message to people, don't be scared of snakes. But that doesn't mean you should kill any snake that you come across.

"I do consume snake venom, to demonstrate that the venom as such is not dangerous. In fact, it is about 95 proteins. Snake venom is dangerous only if it reaches the bloodstream. It is also considered a medicine the world over. Consuming snake venom hasn't affected my health at all."

Suresh says he wants to educate people on the vital role snakes play in the ecosystem and how they are important in maintaining the delicate balance in nature.