The number of deaths caused by snakebites in the country has reached nearly epidemic proportions therefore there is a need for setting up a multi-state cooperative for extracting snake venom, said renowned herpetologist Romulus Whitaker.

Whitaker, who was instrumental in setting up the Irula Snake-Catchers Industrial Cooperative Society (ISCICS) in Tamil Nadu, pointed out the drawbacks in the present system of venom collection.

"There is a lot of variation in venom. The same snake, the Russell's viper is found in four corners of India, but its venom composition varies according to where it is found. But the anti-venom produced from a Russell's viper in Tamil Nadu may not be good enough for a person bitten by a Russell's viper in West Bengal or Punjab," Whitaker told TOI.