MANDYA, KARNATAKA, INDIA: The snake has possibly come into the city during the monsoons because their burrow has filled up with water. Its colour is the same as the flagstones and steps. The mother and her child exit the building. The child would have stepped on the snake but for the fact that the snake takes rapid evasive action. This alerts the child to the snake’s presence and he turns and moves towards it for a strange reason. His mother grabs him and drags him away. It all happens in an instant and it could have ended very badly but for the quick actions of the mother. The advice is to call a professional snake catcher to deal with a snake once spotted.
It is a thought. In the West we simply do not have these sorts of hazards in the street. If the snake is venomous (it is said to be a cobra) it could be a fatal encounter. We don’t have that in London! Or New York. Mandya is about 60 miles from the capital of Karnataka, Bangalore (‘Bengaluru’ is the non-Anglicised version).
The Hindu newspaper reports that there has been an increase in sightings in Bangalore of snakes because the early hatching of eggs due to rains. I expect there has been a similar problem in Mandya. There has been a doubling of calls about the presence of snakes to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike which is the administrative body responsible civic amenities in the municipality of Bangalore.
More complaints than normal have been lodged with the authorities in the pre-monsoon season. The authorities say that they have received 80-90 complaints daily whereas normally they receive 35-40 during the season.
A wildlife warden said:
“The hatching season of snakes is usually in the month of June. This time, as it rained well, the eggs hatched early and in place of one snake, there are now 4 baby snakes. Indian checkered snake, Russell’s vipers and rat snakes are the most commonly seen snakes in Bengaluru. In a few weeks, cobras will also start coming out.”
Apparently, there are 26 different species of snake found in Bangalore. Some are protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Some private snake catchers are unable to accurately identify the species of snake and whether it is venomous or not. These people might be bitten by a venomous snake. It’s advised to call the professionals to deal with snakes in the city.
Snakes can be murder weapons in the Indian state of Rajasthan
