The Irula, the Snake-Catchers of the Tamil Forests

In the hills and forests of northern Tamil Nadu and its borders live the Irula, a forest people of southern India famed throughout the world as the most expert catchers of snakes and rats on the subcontinent. Keepers of an unrivalled knowledge of the wildlife and plants of their homeland, they have turned an ancient skill to a remarkable modern purpose: catching the venomous snakes whose venom is made into the antivenom that saves thousands of lives across India each year.

Once a marginalised forest community of snake-skin traders and pest-catchers, the Irula have become celebrated for the very skills that once kept them on the edge of society, their snake-catchers honoured with national awards. This article traces their origins, language, homeland, society, religion, and traditions, and the extraordinary story of a forest people whose mastery of the wild now saves lives.