He lives with snakes and scorpions. Spreading awareness about reptiles is his mission
His compassion for reptiles began when he was ten. A snake had loitered into their garden one night and his elder brother beat it to death. That very night, the young Faiz swore to protect snakes and other reptiles from "cruel" humans. The ten-year-old boy began to study reptiles, their habits and fears. He also mastered the art of distinguishing a poisonous snake from a non-poisonous one.
Today, Faiz houses injured and stray reptiles till he can find them a home either in the Lucknow zoo or the patch of forest near his house. For the injured snakes, he has his own treatment—Soframycin ointment, Dettol and bandages. This continues for three days after which the dressing is removed. Faiz and his friends have been spreading the message—spare the snake and inform us if you spot one. Whenever he gets a tip-off, he tries to reach the spot as soon as he can and then traps the snake to bring it home. In the last 20 years, Faiz has attended to more than 3,000 snakes. The poisonous ones he leaves in the jungles and the non-poisonous ones in fields and gardens.
Catching each snake is an art by itself. He describes how he caught a cobra by holding its hood after some vegetable vendors from a busy market informed him about its sudden appearance. At the moment, he houses two pythons—a male weighing 10 kg and a smaller seven-kg female. Catching a python is extremely simple, says this snake lover. All you have to do is catch its head and allow it to coil around your hands.
He has been long housing this pair as "the zoo is not willing to keep them". For their diet, Faiz has started breeding rats in his house, much to the annoyance of some of the family members. "They can’t be starved," he says. He’s also breeding scorpions, not to serve his pet pythons though. He leaves them in a nearby rough and rocky terrain. Currently, he has a huge family—an adult pair and their nine offspring.
In his enthusiasm to spread awareness about snakes, Faiz has gathered like-minded friends and has started an organisation, Daya. Its motto: ‘Save living species’. Faiz, who otherwise runs a small business, has been organising workshops at schools to spread awareness about reptiles. He, however, does not remain confined only to the world of reptiles. Every Sunday, he goes to the Nakhas Market in old Lucknow to identify the endangered species that are caged and sold. "I have written innumerable letters addressing the governor, chief minister, wildlife officials and even to Maneka Gandhi, but no one seems to be very serious about this issue of endangered animals being sold," he says in frustration.
His love for reptiles has made people wary of him. Sometimes neighbours fail to understand his strange passion. A stray snake from his 10 by 12 feet room often scares visitors sitting in the living room and, of course, he has had his share of snake bites. But nothing deters this 30-year-old who takes great pride in the fact that his house is known as the saanpon wala ghar (the house of snakes!).
Faiz can be contacted at: 390/136 K/7, Rustom Nagar, Wazir Bagh Road, Lucknow-226003. Ph:0522-3203844