The Asian Age

10- foot- long python rescued by NGO

- AGE CORRESPOND­ENT

A 10- foot- long Indian rock python was rescued from under a bus at the DTC Raj Ghat depot. One of the bus drivers was filling up CNG on Thursday night when he heard something moving under the bus but little did he expect to find a massive python resting underneath.

The authoritie­s then called NGO Wildlife SOS, following which two rescuers arrived and extricated the python and transferre­d it to a safe transport carrier. Lokesh Kumar, an employee at the Depot said, “The driver heard a hissing sound coming from under the bus and decided to take a closer look. He was terrified by the unexpected sight of the gigantic snake and immediatel­y reported the incident to us.” The python is currently under observatio­n and will soon be released back into its natural habitat.

“Indian Rock Pythons ( Python molurus) are very often mistaken to be dangerous because of their size, and face extreme threat due to prevalent misunderst­anding and ignorance among the public.

Not many people are aware that pythons are non- venomous, and these reptiles often get killed when they venture into human surroundin­gs,” said Kartick Satyanaray­an, Co- founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS.

“Finding a python in urban areas is not uncommon. This particular python might have wandered out of the small forest area behind Rajghat. We are glad to see that people are becoming more sensitised towards these largely misunderst­ood reptiles and that instead of taking matters into their own hands; they immediatel­y report such incidents to the authoritie­s,” he added.

 ??  ?? 10- foot long python rescued by Wildlife SOS from Raj Ghat
10- foot long python rescued by Wildlife SOS from Raj Ghat

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