A sand boa, commonly known as ‘mannuli paambu’, was found in a public place at Ulaganathapuram here.
The reptile which was noticed in a garbage dump was rescued by a man a couple of days ago and he handed it over to the Forest Department on Wednesday.
The rescued sand boa was brought to the department office prior to being released in a reserve forest area. The sand boa weighing 1.3 kg was two-foot long. The Forest Department officials say there were misconceptions about this reptile leading to its illegal trade.
A senior official said contrary to mistaken belief, the reptile had no medicinal value.
The sand boas were friends of farmers as they helped them in reducing the rodent population on farm lands, he added.
The rescued sand boa was later released in the Thachankurichi reserve forest in the district.
