Indian Army's snake-eating commandos switch to fruit and nuts

For generations, trainee officers in the Indian Army faced a legendary test of their jungle survival skills: the rite of capturing, killing and eating a snake, preferably a highly venomous one, to prove they had conquered their fear of the wild.

Now, however, a steep decline in the snake population – and fear of upsetting animal lovers – has forced students of the infantry's commando training wing in the southern state of Karnataka to forgo serpentine sources of sustenance. Instead, they are being sent on exercises with extra rations of chocolate, dried fruit and nuts.



One officer who recently completed the gruelling 45-day commando course said: “Snake was still on the menu, but the school now has to use captive-bred animals and it's limited to one per class, so you just get a bite. It was chewy – a bit like mutton.”

The shortage of snakes threatens to deprive the army of one of its most effective training tools, according to Brigadier B.K. Ponwar, the head of the Indian Counter Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College. He said:“Feed a snake to a soldier and it gets the fear out of him. It's part of the process of teaching the soldier that the jungle is his friend, and that one of his best friends is the snake.”