Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Forest Department is preparing to launch SHIVAA, a digital platform designed to connect people with trained snake rescuers and provide guidance during snake-related emergencies. The application is expected to be rolled out during Wildlife Week from October 2 to 8.
The proposed platform comes at a time when snakebite incidents and deaths are emerging as a growing concern in Madhya Pradesh. Official data presented in Parliament show that the state recorded 27 reported snakebite deaths in 2025, more than double the 12 deaths recorded in both 2024 and 2023. Across India, 431 snakebite deaths were reported through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme-Integrated Health Information Platform (IDSP-IHIP) in 2025, compared with 370 in 2024 and 183 in 2023.
SHIVAA aims to bring together public safety, wildlife rescue and medical guidance through one digital system. Instead of relying on untrained people to handle snakes, residents will be able to identify and contact trained rescuers in their area.
The initiative is also expected to help the Forest Department build a digital record of snake rescues, including information about where snakes are found, which species are involved and where they are subsequently released.
SHIVAA aims to make snake rescue easier
The Forest Department’s proposed application is intended to make finding an authorised snake rescuer as straightforward as booking a cab.
When a resident encounters a snake, the platform is expected to help identify the nearest trained rescuer. Until the rescuer arrives, users will receive guidance on maintaining a safe distance and avoiding actions that could endanger themselves or the animal.
This could be particularly useful in urban and semi-urban areas, where snakes sometimes enter homes, residential colonies, schools, farms and other populated locations.
Snake sightings can cause panic, leading people to attempt to catch, kill or move the animal themselves. Such actions can increase the possibility of a bite and can also result in the unnecessary death of a snake.
By directing residents towards trained rescuers, SHIVAA is intended to encourage safer handling of wildlife while reducing risks to the public.
The proposed system could also help residents distinguish between a genuine emergency and a situation where maintaining distance is the safest response.
App will also provide snakebite guidance
SHIVAA is not intended only as a snake-rescue platform. It is also being designed to assist people in the event of a snakebite.
Users will reportedly receive first-aid guidance, warnings against potentially harmful practices and information about nearby hospitals and healthcare facilities where anti-snake venom is available.
This medical component is important because timely access to appropriate treatment can be critical following a venomous snakebite.
The platform’s objective is to reduce delays by directing victims and their families towards suitable healthcare facilities rather than relying on unverified traditional remedies or delaying hospital treatment.
The application is therefore expected to serve two related purposes: helping residents obtain trained assistance when a snake is found and helping snakebite victims reach appropriate medical care.
Snakebite deaths have increased in Madhya Pradesh
The planned digital initiative comes against the backdrop of a worrying increase in reported snakebite deaths in Madhya Pradesh.
According to IDSP-IHIP data presented to the Lok Sabha by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Madhya Pradesh recorded 27 snakebite deaths in 2025. The state had reported 12 deaths in 2024 and the same number in 2023.
Reported snakebite cases have also increased significantly.
The state recorded 1,208 reported snakebite cases in 2022, followed by 1,479 in 2023 and 3,334 in 2024. The 2024 figure was almost three times the number recorded two years earlier.
The figures underline the scale of the challenge facing health and wildlife authorities.
While the causes behind individual snakebite incidents can vary, the availability of timely medical treatment, public awareness and safe handling of snakes can all play a role in reducing the risk of serious outcomes.
India has a national plan for snakebite prevention
Snakebite has been identified by the Union government as an important public-health challenge.
The government has launched the National Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming, with the objective of reducing deaths from snakebite envenoming by half by 2030.
The Madhya Pradesh initiative fits into this broader effort by combining public awareness, emergency guidance and access to trained personnel.
An application that can direct people towards both snake rescuers and hospitals could help bridge two separate needs during an emergency.
However, the effectiveness of such a system will depend on how widely it is adopted, how accurately rescuers are mapped and whether healthcare information remains updated.
Digital records could improve snake rescue monitoring
One of the more significant aspects of SHIVAA is its proposed digital documentation system.
Under the planned platform, registered rescuers can be listed along with details of their training and proficiency. Each rescue operation could potentially record the location where a snake was found, the species involved, the rescuer who handled it and the location where it was released.
Such information could provide the Forest Department with a much clearer picture of human-snake conflict across the state.
If certain areas repeatedly report snake encounters, officials could identify them as hotspots and plan awareness programmes accordingly.
The data could also help authorities determine where trained rescuers are most needed and where medical facilities may require greater preparedness for snakebite emergencies.
Over time, the information could provide useful insights into patterns of snake movement and human-wildlife interaction.
Forest Department wants greater oversight
The digital system is also intended to address concerns over informal snake catchers.
At present, people who encounter snakes may sometimes call local individuals who have experience catching reptiles but may not necessarily be formally trained or registered.
The Forest Department has received inputs alleging that snakes rescued by some informal handlers may not always be released into forests under departmental supervision. There are also concerns that rescued snakes could potentially be diverted into illegal trade, including for their venom.
SHIVAA’s proposed digital trail could make it easier to monitor what happens after a rescue.
Under the proposed system, rescued snakes would be released according to defined protocols, including release into appropriate protected or notified forest areas under Forest Department supervision.
This would give authorities greater oversight of the rescue and release process.
Training planned for rescuers and officials
The Forest Department also plans to strengthen the pool of people capable of carrying out safe snake rescues.
Home Guards, frontline Forest Department personnel and volunteers are expected to receive training in safe rescue and release techniques.
Training is important because handling snakes without adequate knowledge can endanger both the rescuer and the animal.
A properly trained network could also reduce dependence on individuals whose skills or methods have not been formally assessed.
By combining training with registration and digital mapping, the Forest Department hopes to create a more organised system for responding to snake encounters.
SHIVAA could help identify conflict hotspots
The proposed database could become valuable beyond individual rescue calls.
If every rescue is recorded with information about location and species, officials could analyse the data to identify areas where snake encounters occur frequently.
Such information could support targeted awareness campaigns in villages, towns and residential areas.
For example, communities located near forests, agricultural fields, wetlands or other habitats could receive specific information about preventing snake encounters and responding safely when a reptile enters a home.
The data could also help authorities plan the deployment of trained rescuers and coordinate with hospitals in areas where snakebite incidents are more common.
Public awareness will remain crucial
Technology alone cannot eliminate snakebite deaths.
The effectiveness of SHIVAA will depend partly on whether people use the platform rather than attempting to handle snakes themselves or relying on unverified remedies after a bite.
Public awareness will therefore remain an important component of the initiative.
Residents need to understand that a snake should not be approached simply because it appears to be harmless. Maintaining distance and contacting trained personnel can reduce the risk of unnecessary confrontation.
Similarly, a person who has suffered a suspected snakebite needs prompt medical attention rather than depending on potentially dangerous home remedies.
The app’s planned warnings and treatment information could help reinforce these messages.
A new approach to wildlife and public safety
The proposed SHIVAA platform represents an effort to use digital technology to address a problem that sits at the intersection of wildlife conservation and public health.
For residents, the immediate benefit could be easier access to trained snake rescuers. For the Forest Department, the platform could provide greater oversight of rescue operations and create valuable information about human-snake conflict.
For health authorities, directing snakebite victims towards hospitals with anti-snake venom could potentially help reduce treatment delays.
The system will also need regular monitoring to ensure that registered rescuers remain trained, contact details are current and hospital information is accurate.
Launch planned during Wildlife Week
The Forest Department is planning to roll out SHIVAA during Wildlife Week, from October 2 to 8.
The timing is significant because Wildlife Week is intended to promote awareness about wildlife conservation and coexistence. A digital platform focused on safe snake rescue fits naturally within that objective.
If implemented effectively, SHIVAA could help change how communities respond to snakes — from panic and potentially unsafe intervention towards informed reporting and professional rescue.
At the same time, its medical guidance could help people respond more appropriately after snakebite incidents.
The increase in reported snakebite deaths and cases demonstrates the urgency of improving both prevention and emergency response. SHIVAA cannot by itself solve the problem, but a well-managed network of trained rescuers, reliable medical information and digital tracking could become an important tool in Madhya Pradesh’s efforts to reduce snake-related risks,