Wildlife SOS has rescued a 5-foot-long rat snake found inside a washroom at the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s depot in Dwarka Sector-8.
The snake, which was in good health, was released into its natural habitat shortly after the rescue operation.
An emergency call from the DMRC authorities alerted the NGO’s rapid response unit about the presence of the snake. The reptilian visitor had sought refuge in the depot washroom, when officials spotted it and called the wildlife conservation NGO’s 24-hour rescue helpline — 9871963535.
Wildlife SOS dispatched a two-member team for the rescue operation.
They identified the reptile as a rat snake ( Ptyas mucosa ), also known as the oriental rat snake, a common species of non-venomous colubrid snakes found in South and South-East Asia.
Non-venomous
Though non-venomous, rat snakes may bite when agitated or threatened. So the team had to be careful while moving the large snake into a safe transport carrier.
A DMRC official stated, “It was quite a shock to discover the snake in the washroom but we were careful not to cause it any harm. Thankfully, the Wildlife SOS helpline is on our emergency contact list and their team got the snake out quite efficiently.”
Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, said, “It is extremely important for people to remain sensitive to the many wild species we share the city with. Rat snakes are a non-venomous snake species that primarily feed on rodents, toads, small birds, lizards and eggs. Often, people tend to panic on spotting snakes since not everyone can distinguish between venomous and non-venomous ones.”
