14-year-old on a mission to save lives from venomous snakes

CHENNAI: Fascinated by animals, especially reptiles from a very young age, Raphael Emmanuel Doyle, a 14-year-old Chennai resident, is having a unique aim of saving people’s lives from venomous snakes, which according to him is a neglected problem across the country.

Raphael talks to DT Next about what made him think about serpents, his efforts to make his dream a reality, the book he wrote which revolves around his vision and his request to spread awareness on the same. “As I was interested in knowing about snakes, I enrolled in a course at the Chennai Snake Park. That was the major turning point in my life. During the course, I understood the intensity of the issue and was inspired by the lectures from experts on snake bite treatment and how many innocent people lose their lives because of negligence,” says Raphael.

He adds that when he was eight, he felt he had to play his part in putting an end to deaths due to snake bites and started digging deep into the issue. He explains that the four common venomous snakes that pose a threat to human lives in our surroundings are Cobra, Common Krait, Russell’s Viper, and Saw-scaled Viper. To share his knowledge about snakes, snake bites and their treatment, Raphael wrote a book, titled Snake Bite Prevention: India’s 4 Common Venomous Snakes: Preventing Death - Disability - Disfigurement. Raphael also embarked on a journey from Chennai to Nagapattinam to meet the victims and their families directly to know more about the ground reality. The common reason for the deaths was following traditional treatment methods and delays in proper treatment. “The only cure for snake bite is antivenom,” he says firmly. “During my field-work in one of the rural places, I met a family, who lost their daughter because of a snake bite just a day before. Upon enquiry, I came to know that the family followed the traditional treatment method, before taking their daughter to hospital, where she was declared brought dead. My motive is to make people aware of the right treatment to follow for snake bite,” he shares. Raphael’s parents, who are very supportive of his mission, introduced him to the Irulas tribe, from whom he learnt the locomotion of snakes.

To take his mission to the next level, he started creating awareness about the issue. With the help of the Chief Medical Officer at Ponneri Government Hospital, Raphael Doyle Snake Bite Prevention initiative was started. Awareness videos were created in the Tamil language, on the do’s and don’ts, first-aid and treatment, which are telecasted in the hospital.

This young social worker’s efforts were applauded in the Golden Jubilee celebration at the Chennai Snake Park. He received the Golden Jubilee Special Award and his book was also published by Additional Chief Secretary Supriya Sahu. Raphael requested the government to help achieve his vision and also had a few recommendations.

Talking about his mission, “Every hospital in the state, especially the ones in rural areas and primary healthcare centres, should ensure the availability of good quality antivenom, and other supportive healthcare needs. Farmers and plantation workers should be educated about snakes and first-aid. Finally, proper lighting should be provided in rural areas to avoid unnecessary mishaps,” Raphael concludes.