Agra, Nov 3 : An eleven-foot-long Indian Rock Python was rescued by the Wildlife SOS from Bisalpur village in Kagarol, Agra.
The snake was released back into its natural habitat.
In another incident, the NGO rescued a cobra from the Chief Conservator of Forest's (CCF) office in Agra.
The Wildlife SOS 24-hour rescue helpline (+91-9917109666) received a panic-stricken call from the occupants of Bisalpur village, informing them about a giant snake spotted in a field on Monday.
The snake was found in the bushes, where people were collecting grass and other feed for their cattle.
A three-member rescue team from the NGO's rapid response unit immediately rushed to the location.
A closer look at the snake confirmed that it was an 11-foot-long Indian Rock Python, a large non-venomous python species found in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, which is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
After ensuring that the curious onlookers were at a safe distance, the team carefully transferred the reptile in a safe transport career.
The python was kept under medical observation for a few hours before being released in the wild.
Nem Singh, who called the Wildlife SOS, said, "We were shocked to find such a big snake.
Since Wildlife SOS has carried out such reptile rescues before from in and around the area, we immediately contacted them for help."
Kartick Satyanarayan of Wildlife SOS said, "Handling snakes can be a risky task, but our team is trained well to deal with such situations.
Indian Rock Pythons are often misunderstood because of their sheer size, owing to which they are met with hostility and sometimes get killed on being sighted near human habitations.
We must remain sensitive to the presence of wild animals and learn to co-exist."
In another incident, the Wildlife SOS team rescued a five-foot-long cobra from the office of the Chief Conservator of Forest in Khandari, Agra.
The venomous snake had taken refuge under an air cooler inside the office.
The team also rescued a rat snake from the Jeoni Mandi water treatment plant in Agra. All the snakes were safely released back into their natural habitat.
Baiju Raj M.V, Director, Conservation Projects for Wildlife SOS, said, "As the temperature gets colder, these reptiles will move out from the forest to maintain their body temperature which can result in an increase in the sighting of these highly misunderstood creatures in human habitation.
We request people to keep supporting our cause and report any such incident on the Wildlife SOS emergency helpline number."
--IANS
bk/arm.
Source: IANS
