Hyderabad: With the onset of monsoons, the number of snakes being spotted in the city is on the rise. Avinash Visvanathan, general secretary of Friends of Snakes in the city says, “After receiving calls from people for help, back in 2012, we rescued 2,000 snakes. But in 2013, we rescued a total of 2,567.”
So is there an increase in the number of snakes during this season? Avinash says, “Most of the snakes lay eggs during the summer. Monsoon is when they hatch, so you have a lot of babies around that can also stray into homes.”
On spotting a snake, Avinash says, “Don’t try to go near it. Snakes attack when they are threatened or when they are hurt. Usually, snakes are so frightened by humans that they try to escape first.”
“We usually get rescue calls from Kukatpally, Gachibowli, Attapur, Uppal, etc. There are a lot of greenery around, so snakes wander into homes,” adds Avinash.
Tollywood actor Sai Kiran loves rescuing snakes. Till date he has rescued more than 3,000 venomous and non-venomous snakes and is an active member of the Friends of Snake organisation.
Recollecting his fist encounter with a snake, he says, “During schooldays my professor had told me to catch earthworms and put them in mud pots. So when it rained, I took a bowl and spoon and caught a lot of earthworms. Later when I was burying them in the mud, all the worms went inside but this one kept coming out. My grandmother asked me what I was up to, and she noticed a baby cobra coiled around my thumb. She screamed and took it from my hand and smashed it. She said this was a venomous snake and could have killed me. But I thought that in the past 30 minutes the snake could have bitten me almost 20 times but it had not. That’s when I questioned myself, ‘are we humans really superior than others’?” Apart from snakes, Sai Kiran has rescued many animals including eagles, bats, cats and stray dogs and says he would “love to fill the home with snakes”.
Talking about his family, he says, “The first time I met my wife, I had put a condition that every other day she would see me with a different animal at home. Instead of being annoyed she said that she too loved animals.”
Snake alarm
- On spotting a snake, get away from that place. Snakes attack when they are threatened or hurt.
- Call for help immediately (Helpline: 8374233366).
- Never pick boulders with your bare hands, chances of getting bitten by a snake are high.
