It sat coiled around my shower curtain rod, unnoticed, until its 6-foot-frame disturbed shampoo bottles on the shelf. As I heard them tumble, I walked into the bathroom, and began putting them back. By drawing the curtain, I’d inadvertently disturbed the visitor, perched inches above me. That’s when I spotted the rat snake, with its smooth black-netted pattern, hood in the air. And I went for what author Bill Bryson terms, ‘the least-likely-to-be-followed advice’, backed up by my guides’ counsel on visits to wildlife sanctuaries: I stood still. The snake flicked its tongue — they’re deaf and use the Jacobson’s Organ at the roof of the mouth to determine the direction of the sound, by sensing vibrations. I risked baby steps to the door, screaming on the inside, bolting the door behind me.
Who does one call to rescue a snake? That wasn’t an emergency I’d prepared for in my road-facing Mahim apartment. I tried 1916, the BMC’s disaster management helpline, which had me holding for a bit, then shared the number of a rescuer who was visiting Lonavla, who in turn shared another number (I later learnt 1926 is the 24-hour-helpline of Maharashtra’s Forest Department). Meanwhile, Prakash Sakpal, Officer-in-Charge, Shivaji Park Fire Station, swung into action, calling up Animal Welfare Officer ‘Sarpa Mitra’ Murlidhar Shrawan Jadhav, who is a Police Constable.
Within 20 minutes, Mr. Murlidhar, who rescued his first snake at the age of nine (see box: For the love of the wild), was at my apartment. Two minutes later, Mr. Murlidhar had the male rat snake — which had presumably entered through an open drain in the housing society’s compound and climbed up — fitted into a breathable cotton bag. He assured me it would soon be returned to an open area.
ADVERTISEMENT
While this may seem like an incident that ‘happens to other people’, herpetologist Kedar Bhide, who maintains a checklist of snakes in Greater Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Bhayander, says there are “at least 33 different species of snakes” in the area. Mr. Bhide says, “These varieties range from the checkered keelback to the cobra to the Russells’ viper, and many more.” Apart from the 33 confirmed varieties, another 11 varieties of snakes are suspected to exist in the area covered by the study.
Mr. Bhide and Mr. Murlidhar say the average rescuer receives between 12 and 15 calls a day. But, says Mr. Bhide, “Numbers may not have increased; it’s just that we spot them more often now than before.” As construction activity increases — housing complexes, the Metro work — “we destroy their habitat, forcing them out of their burrows.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Yet another factor that contributes to increased sightings: poor solid waste management. Mr. Bhide says, “Snakes are smart creatures, and know how to adapt to the city. They require three basic things: food, shelter and a mate”, all of which can be found in abundance in Mumbai, particularly where piles of garbage are left in the open.” Mr. Murlidhar says he has rescued snakes across the city, from Nagpada to Mahim, Bandra Kurla Complex and beyond to Thane, Kalyan, etc; another reminder of the fact that the wild knows no boundaries.
Debi Goenka, Executive Trustee, Conservation Action Trust, also blames the unfettered construction for sightings. “We are constantly digging up the city and hacking at the green spaces, whether it is private builders with their complexes or government-led projects. We’re forcing the wild out of their homes.” Encroachments have eaten into forest covers, “which will be further compromised with proposed infrastructure projects” such as the Ghodbunder Road widening; tunnels through Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP); the cable transit system, which will connect Borivali to Thane and run over SGNP; the creation of a parking lot at SGNP. A single leopard, he says, needs approx 7 sq km of space, “and we are taking away from that.”
Environmentalist Krishna Tiwari says, over the past decade, more than 12 leopards have been killed while crossing roads across Maharashtra. Much like Mr. Goenka, Mr. Tiwari believes, “we are building across green areas and cutting off the migratory corridors of animals.”
The price we pay
Anand Pendharkar, Wildlife Biologist, Founder-Director of SPROUTS Environment Trust, takes pride in the bio-diversity of our city. “We have an enviable coastline,” he says. Dolphins and whales have been spotted in the city’s waters, though not as often as they used to in the past as we reclaim from the sea. Our wetlands have colourful butterflies, songbirds, otters, mongoose, several varieties of sea-snakes, different species of crabs, and so on. “In the 1970s and 1980s, we could even hear the call of jackals from the mangroves of Bhayander. In SGNP, we have 103-odd sq km of forests lands, where leopards still roam free, in addition to a variety of colourful birds, troops of monkeys, snakes, etc.”
Mr. Pendharkar too believes that unfettered construction has destroyed animal and bird habitats and endangered Mumbai’s natural biodiversity. He has a grim warning for the city: as we destroy the habitat, we endanger ourselves. He brings up the instance of the creation of the Metro at Seven Bungalows, Andheri, which resulted in the destruction of a lake. “This was a water-body frequented by drongos, kites, ducks, swamphens, baya weavers, pheasant tailed jacana, bats, etc.” As the lake was destroyed, the species stopped frequenting this area. But with that came other issues. “A single bat eats 5,000 to 6,000 mosquitoes in a night. Now, we had chased away the barrier, and opened ourselves to increased risk of dengue, malaria, chikungunya. While we can resort to pesticides and fumigation, these artificial solutions can harm the environment and our lungs.”
Similarly, he says, as we hacked down the trees, owls stopped frequenting the city, and with that the rat population increased, which puts us at risk of plagues and other such illnesses.
Culture shift
In the process of creating a concrete jungle, we have forgotten how to interact with the natural world. Jitendra Ramgaonkar, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Greater Mumbai, Mumbai Suburbs and Thane, says, “Earlier, people living around SGNP, particularly the tribals, were aware of the protocol, the dos and don’ts when it came to wildlife. They revered nature, even the predators. But the younger generation grows impatient and reacts badly when an animal is spotted.”
Mr. Ramgoankar says his department conducts awareness camps at housing societies and the tribal hamlets surrounding the forest areas to educate people on dealing with leopard, monkey and snake sightings, and runs campaigns to publicise their 24-hour-helpline.
Mr. Pendharkar says people today are a lot more aware of environmental issues; education on the topic is increasing, and “citizens are realising that they can make a difference through re-plantation and being more aware of their choices.”
He suggests ‘simple, sustainable development measures’. For instance, housing societies should start with active re-plantation in their compounds; not exotic varieties of trees and plants, but local species which differ even between South Mumbai and Thane. This in turn will attract various winged creatures, including bats and owls. Societies should also look at reducing their concretised areas, or at least allow the soil to breathe by creating gaps in the concrete areas.
Even a small change in our diet can help. “With so much information available online, we can learn about the breeding patterns of fish, and avoid eating a particular type of fish during their breeding season.”
Mr. Pendharkar also believes the Forest Department and zoo authorities are not given enough credit. The Department, together with NGOs, holds several educational campaigns. For instance, the ‘Living with Leopards’ initiative held by SGNP, in association with the Mumbaikars for SGNP, to educate people on how to deal with a sighting. Similarly, the zero-bite campaign spearheaded by Mr. Bhide and other NGOs together with the Thane Forest Department, dealt with the issue of tackling snake bites. In addition to these, the Byculla Zoo conducts several guided forest walks.
Mr. Pendharkar says the Fire Brigade and Police work with the Forest Department when it comes to rescuing animals in the city. Yet, what the city needws the most is a special animal rescue department.
Beating the fear
Environmentalists also say we need to deal with the fear. Mr. Tiwari says, “Most human-animal conflict is the result of fearing what you don’t understand. Start by educating children on respecting nature, preserving and valuing the environment. Run mass wildlife education programmes for those already out of school.” Most people, he says, don’t realise that by and large, if you leave a wild animal alone, it won’t harm you.
Mr. Bhide agrees. “Rescuers often get frantic calls when someone spots a snake in a public garden. People need to be educated in that the reptile doesn’t need rescuing in green spaces, but it needs to be rescued if trapped in your apartment.”
He says 75% of the snakes found in the country are non-venomous; bites from the venomous 25% are not always toxic. That said, every bite needs to be attended to by a professional. “Unfortunately, the city is not equipped to deal with snake bites. Doctors in city hospitals, particularly those removed from forest areas and Aarey Milk Colony, are often unaware of treatment modules.”
Mr. Pendharkar adds another factor to the mix: popular perception. “There are certain animals that get a really bad rap: for instance, owls are not tolerated due to the noise and superstitions attached to them, whereas squirrels that destroy gardens are thought of as cute and are more likely to be tolerated.” The media needs to do its bit too. Mr. Goenka says news of animal attacks is often hyped and adds to fear in citizens’ minds. “In Mumbai, so many people die every year in railway accidents. It is especially tragic since you’re boarding a train that is supposed to be safe.” While not trivialising the loss of life, Mr. Goenka says, “Yet one death by a leopard attack makes it to the front page.”
Beyond all this, Mr. Pendharkar says, Mumbaikars’ ‘ego-centric attitude’ needs to change. People need to see animals as living, breathing creatures and respect their rights. Senior advocate Lata Desai, who practices in the Bombay High Court, says India has some of the finest provisions to safeguard animals; under Article 51 A (g) of the Constitution, it is every citizen’s fundamental duty to have compassion for all creatures. She says, “According to Sections 428 and 429 of the Indian Penal Code, to kill or maim any animal, including stray animals, is a punishable offence.” Environmentalists, however, say enforcement of these laws is another matter.
It helps to remind ourselves that we have been living with animals for years: from snakes to monkeys and leopards. Increased sightings are often the fallout of our actions. Between December 2014 and April 2015, wildlife researcher Nikit Surve conducted a study on the leopards of SGNP in collaboration with the Park. He found that dogs constituted 24.5% of the leopards’ diet. Mr. Tiwari relies on the study to explain that the sightings of leopards in housing societies, on the fringes of the park, are largely due to improper solid waste management. The garbage attracts rodents and stray dogs, which in turn attracts the leopards. Similarly, open garbage dumps attract snakes.
But while we may understand that the wild contributes to our survival at an intellectual level, can we unlearn our fears? Yes, says Mr. Murlidhar. “I battled for life after I was bitten by a venomous cobra. Yet I choose to rescue snakes in the city, every single day.”
For the love of the wild
On his trusty Pulsar motorcycle, which bears the sketch of a hooded cobra, Animal Welfare Officer and Police Constable, Murlidhar Shrawan Jadhav, rushes across the city in response to calls for help. And he’s seen it all: a 10-foot-long python wrapped around a ceiling fan in a ground-floor apartment in Mahim; a baby cobra tucked comfortably under a bed in an apartment in Worli; a pregnant python inside a wardrobe in an apartment in Andheri. He handles each call skillfully: “First by quelling the fears of people”, then following protocol so that the animal is unharmed and returned to the wild. But what makes someone take on a job that involves rescuing injured eagles and wayward crocodiles, and handling one of the world’s most feared reptile: the snake? “Being bitten by a cobra at eight.”
Mr. Murlidhar, who belongs to a family of farmers, grew up in a home “shared by 54 members”, in the village of Lohara in Jalgaon. Snakes were a common sight in his village. Mr. Murlidhar accidentally came close to a Spectacled Cobra (Indian Cobra) and was bitten. “At the time, there wasn’t much knowledge or medical know-how in my village and I was taken to the local vaidya.” But the venom soon spread and Mr. Murlidhar was admitted to a government hospital nearby where he slipped in and out of consciousness for a week. He credits his life to Rajesh Thombre, “who had earned the reputation of the snake man of my village.” He says, “Rajesh knew everything there was to know about snakes; how the venom spreads, antidotes, etc. He was able to share his knowledge with the doctors, which saved my life.”
Soon enough, Mr. Murlidhar trailed Mr. Thombre, and learned by watching him on the job. “At the age of nine, I captured my first cobra.” But his guru suggested that he focus on his studies. Mr. Murlidhar learnt much more by wandering through forest areas, studying the behaviour of various animals, birds, reptiles and even rodents, by watching them in their territory. Today, he has been appointed Animal Welfare Officer by the Bombay High Court and the Government of Maharashtra.
Till date, he claims he has rescued and rehabilitated over 3,000 snaakes from homes, slums, offices and cars across Mumbai, Thane and Kalyan. And he charges nothing for putting his life on the line. “I didn’t get into this for the money,” he says. “I wanted to protect wildlife.”