Jamshedpur: Mithilesh Srivastava alias Chhotu is looking forward to pick up some new snake catching tricks by rubbing shoulders with some of the top snake catchers across the country.

The 33-year-old self-taught snake catcher from Bagbera has been invited to attend a snake awareness conference-cum-exhibition at Gomoh in Dhanbad on August 18.

Being organised by Jharkhand-based NGO Snake Rescue Team, the event will be attended by snake catchers from Odisha, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Chandigarh, Bihar and other states.

"I am excited to meet some top snake catchers-cum-rescuers from across the country in Gomoh. Snake Rescue Team founder Subrato Dey aka Bappi Da has sent me the invitation," said Mithilesh who is taking along a cobra, a rat snake and a Russel Viper for the exhibition.

Besides Mithilesh, famous Dhanbad-based snake catcher Mubarak Ansari will also attend the conference.

Mithilesh, who moves around on his bike and always carries a tong, a hook, gloves and a sack, is a godsend for most people who wish to evict snakes from their homes.

Snake Rescue Team founder Subrato Dey said they were organising the event to spread awareness on snakes and the need to save them from getting killed. "Killing snakes will affect the medicine industry as their poison is an important component for making medicines," Dey.

King Cobras measuring 12ft, Russel Viper, Bamboo Pit Viper and other snakes will be displayed in glass boxes at the conference.