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OUR WORLD



 most lethal component of venom
 and are present in 95 percent of
 the world’s venomous snakes. The
 medicine doesn’t require refrigera-
 tion like antivenom.
 For now, avoiding a snakebite
 in the fi rst place is the best solu-
 tion, experts say. Most bites happen
 when snakes are accidentally dis-
 turbed. “People in rural areas, hav-
 ing outdoor toilets or who work in
 agricultural fi elds, tend to be more
 vulnerable,” Gnaneswar Ch says.
 “They can be exposed to snakes
 without even realizing it.”
 Vedhapriya Ganesan, a wildlife                                                  ɓΤΙܓͺኁז௅ໝϓ
 rehabilitator who works with the                                                ࡰ͍ίΥЪٟ౤՟ݭஊ
 Rotary Club of Madras Coromandel,
 India, on environmental education                                               ݭ૰d༈ΥЪٟԶᏐΌ
 projects, rescues snakes in Chen-                                               ਷ഒɽεᅰ͜׵Ⴁிஊ
 nai. She receives frantic calls when                                            ېෆطᐕᖹኒٙݭ૰
 people encounter them in homes or                                               ࡡࣘf
 public spaces. As part of her work
 supported by the club, she speaks to   A member of India’s Irula tribal group milks venom from a snake at a co-op that produces most of the country’s
         venom supply for manufacturing snakebite treatments.
 hundreds of students at schools and   ˜ஊېෆࣩԷஷజʔԑ  ͍ί˕ܵˋ̺ԭอ఻ʫԭஊې          ࡁf˜ࡳ׊ɓᓃᓃᙆᙂேঐ࣐
 colleges about snakebites. “Chil-  ኬߧᅰኽྎ˶d̵݊غဧࠦᑗ  ΥЪྫМᗫڷdவ݊Շ਷ִ݁          હ͛նၾٮ᜗™f
 dren are more vulnerable,” she says.
                                                                   BY THE NUMBERS
         Foundation global grant of $84,000  Melbourne is supporting the Papua
 She teaches them to be alert to   ٙ˴ࠅܿ኷™༈ٟٟࡰ̵ဧ  ٙɓධࡇᙄd౤Զܼ̍˄ජঐ                ᅠ˖jKamala Thiagarajan
                                         ٙɓԬήਜdஊېෆٙϥɳɛ81,000+
         ီhԢ ༠ ဧ (Nirmal Rijal) ڌ
                                         Ώᇌeહᚐԓ୅ਗխіዚʿ৅
 their surroundings and not to panic.  to support a four-year awareness   New Guinea Snakebite Partnership,
 “I tell them to keep your distance   project including radio spots.    an initiative of both countries’ gov-
                                         ᇖഃ༟๕fίˋ̺ԭอ఻ʫԭ
         ͪf˼ၾٟʾࡁ͍՘ɢค዆
 and if the snake is too close, then   An absence of robust data on   ernments, with resources including
         snakebite cases, which are under-
 stay still as a statue,” she says. “It   ༟ࣘdԨਗ਼ա࢔٫ᔷʧЇΌ਷  solar-powered refrigerators, mobile
 won’t bite unless it feels threatened.”  reported, is a challenge in Nepal,   ventilators for ambulances, and   Estimated
         120 ࢕௪ϞҤஊݭА૶ܸ֛ٙ
                                         ᅰ݊ဳशא٬ഐࣨٙɧ࠴f number of
 Snakebites will continue to be   says Nirmal Rijal, a member of the   training. In some parts of Papua   ҧቃᅰኽ
                                         ˜ԙʦމ˟dʊ࣐હə 2,000
         Kathmandu club. He works with
 a global problem, she says, as long   ᔼᐕዚ࿴f  New Guinea, deaths from snakebite   people killed
                                                                          81,000+
                                                                   each year by
 as our cities keep expanding into   other members to gather data and   are three times higher than those   snakebite
                                         εɛٙ͛նd™ኈဧ͉ҧቃٟ
             ˰ޢሊ͛ଡ଼ᔌ˜਄ੰή
 the animals’ natural habitat. “Now   direct victims to the 120 health   from malaria or tuberculosis. “To
                                         ٟࡰτ؇̵hˋइ̵ (Anthony
         facilities in Nepal designated as
 snakes are adapting to live along-  ଣ༟ৃӻ୕ʕː™༶͜ක׳ᅰ  date over 2,000 lives have been   1890s
                                                                          Пࠇӊϋஊېߧϥɛᅰ
 side humans. And climate change,   snakebite treatment centers, with   saved,” says Melbourne club mem-
         ኽၾήଣ٤ග৛ᔳҦஔd՘п
                                         Battaini) Ⴍf
 which makes severe cyclones and   stocks of antivenom.   ber Anthony Battaini.
                                              ኋ၍຾ዝə೨߮ձฦ Antivenom first
           Aiding their e— orts is the World
 floods more frequent, increases   ஹഐա࢔٫ၾҤஊݭА૶༟  Despite her pain and loss, Mari-  1890 ϋ˾
         ๕fவධʈЪܼ̍һอהϞݭ
 our exposure too,” she says. “In   Health Organization’s Geographic  amma is grateful to have survived   introduced
                                         ૶ଣג܊մఖٙᐑྤfءจ̙77
                                         ̰dီᘆԭီܘชዧІʉঐ࠻
                                                                          ҤஊݭА૶࠯ܓਪ˰
 such a situation, awareness is a   Information  System  Centre  for   her ordeal. Now, she advises her   %
                                         πɨԸfତίdμܔᙄቌ֢ࡁ
         Health, which uses open data and
 powerful tool.”      ஊٙʱ̺ྡձɓࡈତϞҤஊݭ   neighbors to clean up around their
         А૶ٙ༟ࣘࢫd௰୞ਗ਼౤ԶϞ
 Rotary clubs in Nepal and Aus-  geospatial tracking to connect vic-  homes. “Look for places where   77%
 tralia have also been campaigning   tims with antivenom. The effort   snakes could hide and pay atten-  Share of fatal-
                                         ঐᔛஊٙԉໝdցගतйࠅव
         ᗫԶᏐਠٙ༟ৃf
                                                                          Ιܓஊېϥ٫ʕ͊ʿ৔ᔼˢԷ
 to create awareness. In 2019, the Ro-  includes updated range maps of all  tion to where you’re putting your   snakebite
                                                                                           ILLUSTRATIONS BY CRISTIAN BARBA CAMARENA
                                         จ˓໔׳ٙЗໄ™μѓൡ˼
             ίዦݲdኈဧ͉ҧቃٟ
 tary Club of Kathmandu Mid-Town  venomous snakes and a database of  hands and feet, especially at night,”   victims in India
 held a conference on snakebite pre-  available antivenoms that will even-  she tells them. “Even a little aware-  who never make
 vention with international experts.  tually o— er information on providers.   ness can save life and limb.”    it to a hospital
 In 2020, the club received a Rotary   In Australia, the Rotary Club of   — ¡¢£¢¤¢ ¥¦§¢¨¢©¢ª¢«  PHOTOGRAPH: COURTESY OF GNANESWAR MCBT  PHOTOGRAPH: COURTESY OF GNANESWARMCBT
                                              The RI Board approved 121
 Rotary’s blog has a new name   ҧቃٙ௅ໝࣸϞəอٙΤ၈ձ࿃อٙࠦႶf              ਷ყҧቃଣԫึ֛ࣨ 2024-25 ϋܓ˜൴Ң؂
           短  訊
                                              members to rec
 Short   and a fresh look. Find inspiring   ሗЇ Rotary 360: blog.rotary.org ɪరҬҧቃeive the 2024-25
                                                                 ਕᆤ™121 Зᐏᆤٟࡰf˼ࡁਗ਼׵ɨࡈ˜ί
                                              Service Above Self Award. They
 takes  stories from Rotary members   ٟࡰོٙႀɛː݂ٙԫձਖ਼࢕ٙԈ༆f          ̔̋ͭ਷ყҧቃϋึટաڌ࿎f
 and insights from experts at
                                              will be honored next month at
 Rotary 360: blog.rotary.org.                 the Rotary Convention in Calgary.
 16  ROTARY  MAY 2025  26  臺灣扶輪 2025.5
 may25-C-Opener.indd   16                                                     3/24/25   16:43
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