Snakecatchers risk death to save lives

A small scythe, a crowbar and a bundle of canvas bags are all that Kali and Vedan carry when they venture into the fields of southern India to catch some of the world's deadliest snakes.

Their skills, passed from generation to generation of the Irula tribe they belong to, are crucial for the production of antivenom in a country with the world's highest number of deaths from snake bites.

Since it began in the 1970s, the Irula snakecatchers' cooperative on the outskirts of the southern city of Chennai has revolutionized the treatment of snakebites in India, enabling it to produce enough anti-venom to supply hospitals across the country.