Snake charmers form union

Delhi: India's snake charmers have formed a union to fight a ban on their trade following the introduction of a wildlife protection bill.

The ban has stripped 800,000 members of Bengal's Bedia community, who have worked as snake charmers for generations, of what they say is their only source of income, while an estimated 20,000 are serving jail terms for defying the ban.

A union, the Bedia Federation of India, and campaign group have been set up to lobby for an exemption from the ban and for state support for retraining.

The union argues that if the state cannot lift the ban, it should help the Bedia to set up snake farms.