2.5 feet Monitor lizard rescued from Kajupada

A 2.5 feet long adult monitor lizard was on Wednesday rescued from a chawl in Borivali’s Kajupada area. The day also saw the rescue of a seven feet long Indian Rock python from Mira Road.

Chawl residents spotted the lizard, also called a Bengal monitor or common indian monitor near a drum outside their residence and called the helpline of a wildlife rescue NGO reporting it as a baby crocodile. Sunish Subramanian of Plant and Animals Welfare Society (PAWS) which rescued the reptile said that while they have rescued monitor lizards earlier, those were young ones, while this was a full-grown adult.

The python was rescued from a security person’s cabin in Miraroad’s Gaothan area. Only a day earlier, PAWS had received a call from Borivali’s Rushivan area that adjoins the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. While the organisation’s volunteers Siddhesh Thavre and Abhijeet Sawant had gone to attend the rescue call for one python in the compound of a home, they had ended up spotting and rescuing another python which was in the same compound. Earlier, PAWS had rescued a python from the engine of the car of the same house.

Also released along with these reptiles was another Indian Rock Python that had been injured due to a rat bite. The snake had been rescued from a caterer's godown in Mira Road earlier this month by the organisation after a call. It had been under treatment of veterinarian Dr. Manish Pingle. All the reptiles have been released after necessary medical checks.