...In which the verdict of "venomous" was unanimous.

Today, at about 5pm, we met a hero. His name is M.S. Balasubramaniam, but the world (and I quite literally mean “the world”) knows him better as “Snake Shyam”. Shyam is many things: chiefly a snake catcher; but also a conservationist, a naturalist and, as it transpired, a profoundly philosophical man too.

Born in Karnataka, Shyam began catching snakes at the age of 12 and immediately developed a deep bond with these unpopular animals. In India, you see, the snake is perceived as a hazard - hardly surprising for a country that boasts the four deadliest serpents in the known universe. The shame of it is, however, that people tend to be pretty uncompromising when it comes to dealing with them and would rather remove the snake from its life than go the extra mile and have someone remove it from their garden.

Shyam is changing attitudes though. He sees the snake as a vital part of the broader Indian ecosystem and has sought for long years to increase awareness of the importance of snakes; to capture them without harm; and release them back into the wild, away from humans. In fact, he’s probably the most famous snake catcher in the world, and not without good reason. This is a man who can back up his fearlessness with argument. Without snakes, Shyam says, rats and other prey would proliferate uncontrollably and lead to the spread of disease. His work as a snake catcher is therefore as much about sustaining their population for the benefit of all as it is about protecting a beautiful and mystical part of the natural world. Now I’m no expert, but the last time that rats were implicated in the spread of disease, half of Europe’s family trees alone burnt down, so I’m inclined to agree with Shyam here and take a more holistic view of the situation.

So, on this sunny day at Field Base, we got to meet the man himself. Stepping out of the 4 x 4 in his trademark bandanna, shades and no small amount of bling, Shyam cut a striking appearance. He put his hands together, exchanged bows with us and at once began to tell us all about the biology of snakes with a dazzling yet digestible hurricane of facts that held everyone in rapt interest. Somehow an explanation on the nature of venom and what it can do has never hit home so powerfully before. And that’s just it: it’s not just the case that Shyam knows his stuff; it’s the fact that he’s irrepressibly passionate about his work and that his knowledge is clearly drawn from a mixture of life experience and study. I can now name thirty people at least who will be keeping their boots on at night.

The centrepiece of Shyam’s masterclass was undeniably the opportunity to hold some of the snakes he'd brought along. A few people backed away, understandably, but, since none of the first few snakes were venomous, many seized their chance to feel their scaled skin and aptitude for wriggling free. As occasions go for establishing a respect-based bond with a fearsome animal, this was pretty exceptional.

Shyam then requested that we step back as he brought out a King Cobra from a locked box. But for the swiftest medical treatment, this animal’s bite would be fatal. Naturally the chance to continue holding the snakes had expired by this point. The cobra smelt the air, decided it didn’t like what it tasted and promptly flattened its hood to display its discontent. Shyam, standing in close proximity to the cobra and not taking his eye off of it for a second, explained that snakes bite when they are hunting or when they are threatened. As such, any sudden moves on his part now would provoke it into delivering potentially the last snake bite he’d ever get. The look on the snake’s face at it stared at him, unblinking and hissing, gave us no reason to doubt his word. He calmly edged away and skillfully set the cobra back in its box to the awestruck praise of many and relief of a few.