Snake checks into Delhi hotel, rescued

Wildlife SOS’ Rapid Response Unit rescued a three-foot-long royal snake from a hotel room in Karkarduma, after it was chanced upon by an unsuspecting guest. The snake was found to be fit for release, and freed into its natural habitat shortly after.

The incident happened early this week.

A member of the cleaning staff at the Aura Grand Residency in Karkarduma entered a room to get it ready for the arrival of a guest, only to find that another occupant had checked in earlier. The young man was startled to find the snake curled up on the bed of the hotel room, and called the Wildlife SOS rescue hotline.

A team was promptly dispatched to the location.

Geeta Seshamani, co-founder of Wildlife SOS, said: “The snake had obviously been startled by the sudden flurry of activity following its discovery and had retreated to a corner of the room, behind the television set. The team retrieved it and transferred it safely into a snake bag. The hotel did the right thing by calling the rescue team rather than hurting the animal or attempting to move it out themselves.’’

Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder of Wildlife SOS, added that on reaching the location, the team identified the reptile as a royal snake, which is non-venomous and harmless to human beings.

“Snakes are generally not a threat, but people’s inability to distinguish the venomous ones from the non-venomous, often leads to unnecessary panic. Our team works hard to sensitise people to these largely misunderstood creatures and make it possible for them to co-exist in urban areas,’’ he said.

Mr. Rajesh Vaid, manager of operations, Aura Grand Residency, said, “We were really happy with the way the rescue was carried out.’’