“Stay away from that pile of dried leaves. There could be snakes lurking there.”
Bengalureans are coming across such warnings frequently ever since the onset of summer. Over the last few weeks, instances of people spotting the reptile in residential premises has been on the rise, as has the number of snake bite cases in hospitals.
K.R. Ravindra, Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Victoria Hospital, said their OPD has been handling at least two snake bite cases every day in the last few days.
Mohan, Head of the Department of Medicine, K.C. General Hospital, also said they have been receiving at least four cases of snake bite each week in recent weeks, mainly from the outskirts, such as Nelamangala and Doddaballapura.
Over 150 calls a month
Appurao A.G., Deputy Conservator of Forests, BBMP said the palike’s control room gets anywhere between 150 and 170 calls in a month — mainly in summer and monsoon — about spotting snakes. He said fewer complaints come from the core city areas as compared to newer extensions, such as H.S.R. Layout, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, K.R. Puram and Yelahanka.
Snake rescuer Rajesh Kumar M. gets around 50 calls a day from across the city. “Areas on the outskirts or have seen lesser development report more snake sightings,” he said.
Deepak S., another wildlife rescuer who works for the BBMP Forest Cell’s wildlife rescue team, said creatures living under the earth, such as snakes and ants, usually come out during the summer and the monsoon. “They cannot stay in the burrows due to the heat or if they are flooded water,” he explained.
Simple steps to follow
Rescuers recommend some simple steps to follow in case they sight a snake.
Mr. Appurao said, “People usually panic when they see snakes. We visit the site only if they are spotted inside a house. Once rescued, we release the snakes back into the wild.”
People can make out if a snake is venomous by looking at the size of its head.
“Those with big heads are usually venomous,” he said, adding that people should not hurt reptiles as they are cold-blooded and their injuries do not heal easily.
Mr. Kumar said there have been cases of victims surviving venomous bites while others dying despite being bitten by non-venomous snakes. “This was because some of them actually died of a heart attack after being bitten. The first thing people need to do is to stay calm. The impact of the bite of a snake differs with the species. Each needs to be treated based on the symptoms,” he said.
Common species
Cobra
Rat snake
Where are they usually found?
Near lakes
Parks
Rajakaluves
Vacant plots
Helpline
22221188
9880108801
9886179396
Dos and Don’ts
Maintain distance
Call the helpline immediately
Keep track of the snake’s movements to guide rescuers
Do not hurt the reptile
In case of a bite, stay calm until medical help arrives
