Etawah: In Gopalpur village of Chakarnagar tehsil of Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh, 25 snakes, 24 of which were pythons, emerged from the water tank of a government tubewell, creating a stir in the village. This is believed to be the largest snake colony ever.
Chambal Sanctuary’s forest officer KK Tyagi informed that on the information of local villagers, Chambal Sanctuary’s team and wildlife representatives together carried out this rescue operation. During the rescue, 24 pythons and one krait snake were safely taken out.
commotion in the village
After this incident, fear had spread among the villagers in the area and they had stopped farming. However, they were relieved after the successful rescue operation. Tyagi said that all the snakes were more than 4 feet long and they have been released in their natural habitat. Dr. Ashish Tripathi, a representative of Ocean Sanstha involved in the rescue operation, said that they have been rescuing snakes for the last 10 years, but for the first time such a large number of snakes have been rescued.
released into the wild
In the last 10 years, about 10,000 big and small pythons have been rescued in Etawah district. Here, pythons weighing from 5 kg to 100 kg and 5 feet to 20 feet long have been safely rescued and released in the forest.
terror of the dragon
For the last 20 years, pythons have been emerging from the ground on a large scale in Etawah district. The forest department has been spreading awareness in every village that pythons should not be harmed in any way and if any python is seen, then the forest department and wildlife organization representatives should be informed immediately.
Towards human settlements…
The number of pythons in Etawah has increased so much that it is considered to be the largest habitat of pythons in the country and the world. Pythons usually do not harm people, but when they are in danger, it can be difficult for them to survive. Due to deforestation, pythons are now moving towards human settlements, where they are making their habitat.
Hundreds of pythons on the river banks
Python is a protected animal and comes under Schedule One species. However, no special plan has been made by the central or state government for its conservation. Therefore, rescued pythons are released in protected forest areas. Hundreds of pythons are found on the banks of Yamuna and Chambal rivers in Chambal Valley, although no factual count has been done.
Tags: Local18, Snake Rescue
FIRST PUBLISHED : August 30, 2024, 16:47 IST
