Surya Keerthi is an Indian wildlife conservationist, animal rescuer, and conservation speaker who is based in the city of Mysore, Karnataka. He caught the attention of people after Surya’s video went viral in which he was seen trying to save a gravid Spectacled Cobra, who was run over by a vehicle and was fighting for its life. He is the son of snake enthusiast Snake Shyam, who participated in season 10 of the reality TV show Bigg Boss Kannada.
Wiki/Biography
Surya Keerthi was born in 2000 (age 23 years; as of 2023) in Mysore, Karnataka, India. His zodiac sign is Leo.
Surya Keerthi as a kid
As per some sources, he is a graduate. Surya grew up watching his father rescue snakes and developed a curiosity about snakes at a young age. As a child, he often visited the rescue sites with his father and observed the rescue work of snakes. Slowly, he learned the art of identifying poisonous and non-poisonous snakes only by looking at them. In an interview, while sharing a childhood memory, he said,
I remember a documentary was being shot on my dad, I must have been 3 years old. And I was crying because I wanted to hold a snake. That is when dad reached out inside a bag and removed a small slender snake and handed it over to me. I used to bring small trinket snakes to my room and try to observe their behavior. As I grew older, I accompanied dad on some rescues, rescued some non-venomous snakes on my own, and then slowly advanced to rescuing venomous snakes.”
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 8″
Hair Colour: Dark Brown
Eye Colour: Dark Brown
Family
He belongs to a Brahmin family.
Parents & Siblings
His father, Snake Shyam, aka M. S. Balasubramania, is an Indian snake enthusiast, lecturer, former counsellor at Mysore City Corporation, and wildlife conservationist from Mysore, India. His mother’s name is Satyavati.
Surya Keerthi with his father
Wife
He is unmarried.
Career
Surya Keerthi started his career as a wildlife conservationist and animal rescuer at a young age. He has rescued and preserved thousands of snakes in the Mysore district.
Surya Keerthi during a snake rescue operation
Surya also protects the eggs of rescued snakes and gives them artificial incubation until the eggs hatch. He then releases the baby snakes to safer places at an appropriate stage. In addition to snakes, Surya has also rescued other animals like owls, squirrels, and puppies.
Surya Keerthi posing with a rescued Eagle Owl
He also owns a small animal shelter in Mysore, where animals disabled in accidents are rehabilitated. He has organised various awareness programs about snakes across the country. On 18 January 2014, he created a self-titled YouTube channel on which he uploads his animal-rescuing videos. As of 2023, the channel has more than 135k subscribers.
Favourites
- Conservationist: Paul Rosolie
Facts/Trivia
- Surya loves listening to music in his leisure time.
- He is an avid animal lover and owns a Persian cat.
Surya Keerthi talking about his pet cat in an Instagram post
- He is often referred to as Jr. Snake Shyam by many people.
- Surya is one of the youngest zoologists in India. He has been raising awareness against the illegal sale of animals and the illegal trade of killing animals for leather for many years.
- He has studied almost all the species of snakes in Mysore in their native habitats. Surya is also associated with many environmental conservation awareness programs.
- On his Instagram account, he is often seen posting various animal rescue stories.
Surya Keerthi’s Instagram post about animal rescue
- Surya is often seen drinking alcoholic beverages on various occasions.
Surya Keerthi drinking beer
- Surya doesn’t charge any money from people for the animal rescue operations.