Why mongooses are the most popular pets in India

Different peoples of the world have their own preferences regarding pets. In Russia and in European countries, it was customary to get cats to protect the house from rodents, but in India mongooses play this role. But small animals save the houses of Indians not only from rats, but also from snakes, from the bites of which thousands of people die every year.

Mongooses are predatory mammals, which are distinguished into a separate family of mongooses, although not so long ago they were still attributed to the family of civets. By the way, the famous meerkats also belong to the mongoose family. These are small animals the size of a cat or slightly larger, and their body sizes range from 25-75 centimeters with a weight of 1-5 kilograms.

In nature, more than 30 species of mongoose are known that live in Africa and southern Asia, inhabiting a variety of landscapes from deserts to tropical rainforests. Most often, they settle in underground burrows, forming large colonies of up to 50 individuals. Mongooses are agile and fast animals that swim well, even mongooses that lead a semi-aquatic lifestyle are found.

The ability of mongooses to hunt snakes is widely known. This was the reason for their incredible popularity in India. In this country, like nowhere else in the world, the population suffers from the bites of poisonous snakes. According to official figures, annually more than 50,000 inhabitants of India become victims of poisonous snakes. In this case, a paradoxical situation is observed: no one is fighting them, since snakes are considered sacred animals. Well, mongooses are not so scrupulous in relation to dangerous reptiles, which is why Indians start them.

In India, common mongoose, or Indian gray mungo (lat. Herpestes edwardsii), is common as a pet. These animals are quickly tamed: once you catch and feed the mongoose, making it clear that nothing threatens him, as he already considers his friend. This species of mongoose is found in homes not only in India, but also in other parts of Asia and even in Africa, where it performs the same function - it hunts rats, mice and snakes.

It turns out that Rudyard Kipling's tale "Ricky-Tikki-Tavi" could well be a retelling of the true story, because mongooses in India are very fond of and appreciated for their ability to kill snakes, and are also revered as sacred animals.