Marrakech Snake Charmers: Tourism Tradition Faces Animal Welfare Scrutiny

Snakes are animals that inspire fear and concern in the world. But not for the Aïssaoua, descendants of Sidi Mohamed Ben Aïssa, who have the power to tame them. On the famous Jemaa El-Fna square in Marrakech, we see these charmers, accompanied by the sounds of flutes, provoke the snake until they force it to take a defensive position, under the amazed gaze and applause of the visitors.

In doing so, the charmers demonstrate their power, their "baraka", which allows them to interact with different species of snakes such as the puff adder (Bitis arietans), the Montpellier snake of the Sahara (Malpolon monspessulanus saharatlanticus) and the North African cobra or black cobra of Morocco (Naja haje legionis). But this activity of the Aïssaoua attracts tourists as much as it gives a negative image of Morocco due to the suffering inflicted on these reptiles, generally captured in the desert habitats of the Lower Draâ (Tan Tan-Guelmim) and then stripped of their fangs, without anesthesia.

Some snakes end up dying from this operation, others from dehydration and the inappropriate food that is forcibly ingested, reports The Conversation. To all this is added the stress experienced by the reptile, which is forced to maintain a defensive position for hours for the "show". Banned in India since 1972 as it is considered cruel, this practice continues in Morocco. Snake charmers hold a special place in the tourism development of Jemaa El-Fna square in Marrakech.