On a day when thousands of devotees pay homage to snakes throughout India, a helpless snake was rescued by Wildlife SOS Rapid Response Unit in Dwarka on Wednesday, the occasion of Nag Panchmi.
A snake was spotted in a residential colony, where it probably lived all its life. Its sighting caused panic among the residents, who started chasing it with sticks in an attempt to kill it. Another group of residents allowed the retreating reptile into an underground drain and then blocked the drain so it could remain safe from attack.
A resident reported the incident to Wildlife SOS Helpline on 9871963535 and a team of experts rushed to the spot to rescue the snake from the underground drain. The reptile was identified to be a common cobra ( Naja naja )
Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder of Wildlife SOS, said: “It is extremely unfortunate that people’s misplaced fear of snakes results in unnecessary panic and leads to incidents such as this one, putting the life of an innocent animal in danger. Although a cobra has venom for hunting its prey, it will not bite unless threatened, cornered or provoked. It is reassuring to learn that the residents tried to protect the snake from harm and contacted Wildlife SOS. I am glad to see kindness towards animals still lives on in many of us.”
Suvidha Bhatnagar from Wildlife SOS added the rescue team members reported that the snake was quite frightened and could have drowned if left in the drain any longer. The team carefully removed the covering to the drain and managed to get the drowning reptile out of the water in time. The cobra will remain under observation for a few days before being released into its natural habitat.
