Various animal rights bodies, along with the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, on Saturday rescued 20 snakes including seven pythons, three patch sand boas and four cobras.
In an earlier raid conducted on July 21, the team — which also includes Wildlife Protection Society, Bharatiya Prani Mitra Sangh and Sahayog — rescued six cobras and two rat snakes, a press note said.
This was the first ever instance of as many as seven pythons being rescued in the city. The snakes were caught in connection with upcoming Naga Panchami Festival that will be celebrated on August 11.
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Each year, scores of snakes are caught by charmers to showcase them during the festival. However, catching snakes or causing injury to them is them is a legal offence which can lead to imprisonment under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
“Snake cannot digest milk hence it will be harmful for its body. Devotees should perform puja only at temples. Snake charmers subject snakes to various types of cruelties which in turn kill the animal when they are left in the wild later,” Wildlife Crime Control Bureau special officer Mahesh Agarwal said in the release.
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The organisations have established helplines to rescue snakes from charmers during this year’s Naga Panchami festival. To alert the team, call 9394005600 or 9246175600.