It is suspect that the snake, weighing around 10 kilos, could have climbed onto a train and found its way to the Ashram premises.
BENGALURU: A nine to 10 foot long Indian Rock python, declared locally extinct in urban Bengaluru, was seen resting on a compound wall in Kadugodi on Tuesday night.
It was an entertaining spectacle for hundreds of commuters - that in turn affected traffic flow around 10 pm. The BBMP Wildlife Rescue Cell officials, who rescued the python, said that a sighting like this was very rare with the last reported case almost a decade ago! Eager to catch a glimpse of an uncommon sight in the concrete jungle of Bengaluru, hundreds of commuters had a glimpse of an Indian Rock Python curled up and resting on the compound wall of the Sri Sathya Sai Baba ashram in Kadugodi, near Whitefield.
“We received around 20 phone calls that night and people were in panic after seeing a giant snake on a compound wall. We rushed to the spot immediately as we were afraid that someone might injure or kill the snake.
The reptile was an Indian Rock Python that measured around 9 to 10 feet in length. “We managed to rescue the snake safely, despite a large crowd around us. It’s very rare to see a python in the city considering they’re almost extinct in urban areas of Bengaluru,” said, C.S. Nagabhushan, Wildlife Rescuer, BBMP Forest Cell.
He adds that in his entire career spanning two decades, he has only seen three such cases, with the last being a snake found in K e n g e r i about 10 years ago. Forest cell officials suspect that the snake, weighing around 10 kilos, could have climbed onto a train and found its way to the Ashram premises or could have gotten into a car or any four-wheeler to safeguard itself from the rain or to get warmth and shelter from the vehicle due to cold.
Sharath R Babu, honorary wildlife warden, Bangalore Urban, said, “The snake looks healthy and will soon be released into the Bannerghatta National Park. The Indian Rock Python is protected under Schedule 1 category of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 The Act states the snake should be non-venomous and this one falls into that category.”
