Srinagar (PR):Wildlife SOS rescuesHimalayan trinket snakes, rat snakes in Srinagar amidst the coronavirus lockdown! While the COVID19 pandemic has driven people off the streets, calls involving urban wildlife have increased; people faced with such encounters are reaching out to Wildlife SOS for help
Rescuers from the wildlife conservation NGO have been on their toes recently, due to multiple snake sightings across Srinagar.
Earlier this week, their rescue team received an emergency call from the Lalit Grand Palace Hotel about two snakes that were spotted in their front lawns. Aaliya Mir, who heads the Wildlife SOS centres in J&K, rushed to the location with necessary rescue equipment including transportation units and protective gear. A closer look confirmed that the snakes were Himalayan trinket snakes, a non-venomous species that is native to India, Nepal and China. They are terrestrial snakes, usually found in low heights, dense vegetation etc. and feeds on rats, small mammals and lizards.
A third trinket snake was rescued from a house in Gupkar Road, just a few kilometres away from the hotel.
In another incident, a 6 foot long Rat snake was found in a bakery unit in Industrial Estate, Khanmoh. The snake was nestled between the rafters on the factory roof and had to be carefully eased out by the Wildlife SOS rescuers.
The Rat Snakeis a non-venomous species and is popularly known as ‘Dhaman’ in northern India. It is often mistakenly believed to be venomous, because of its resemblance to the Cobra snake and typically large size. Rat snakes are commonly sighted around urban settlements.
Aaliya Mir, Manager &Education Officer – J&K Projects, Wildlife SOS, said,”We are getting regular calls abut snakes sightings in and around Srinagar and have rescued over 10 snakes in the past month.We are happy to see that instead of taking matters in their own hands, more and more people are calling our helpline. Snakes are oftendemonized and misrepresented, but in reality, a snake only reacts when forced to defend itself. Nonetheless, it is extremely important to take certainprecautions while dealing with snakes, especially those that are venomous.”
Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-Founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, said, “These are very difficult times for the world but that will not stop us from providing aid to both wildlife and communities in need.One of the reasons for these snake sightings is the weather. The rising temperatures often force reptiles out of their natural habitat to seek out cooler places to retreat to during daytime. We request people to report any such incidents on our emergency rescue helpline and our team would be happy to help.”
Wildlife SOS continues to operate its animal rescue hotlines in Jammu and Kashmir in the midst of a nationwide lockdown (+91-7006692300, +91-9419778280).
For more information contact Arinita Ph. 9560011875 – emailnews@wildlifesos.org
Wildlife SOS (WSOS) is a non-profit charity established in 1998 with the primary objective of rescuing and rehabilitating wildlife in distress across India. We actively run wildlife and nature protection projects to promote conservation, combat poaching & illegal wildlife trade. We also work in partnership with the Government and indigenous communities to create sustainable, alternate livelihoods for erstwhile poacher communities.
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