400 snakes rescued in Ggn within two months, released in Aravallis

GURUGRAM: Monsoon season this year has proved to be an onerous, risky and busy for wildlife officials. In less than two months, over 400 snakes were recovered from the city. The officials have expressed satisfaction that increased sightings has resulted in the increase in their population. Yet, the wildlife officials have expressed concerns that how these wild species are entering the houses of the residents.

In a worrying trend, a sizable number of snakes that have been seized are poisonous and their bite can result in human death. In the official information that has been shared, there have been 150 common snakes, 30 blackheads, 100 rat snakes, 60 cobras, 50 common krait among other species. Common krait and cobras are considered to be among the most dangerous species of snakes that have been recovered. In what can be considered as a major achievement for the officials, no cases of snake bite have been reported from the city so far. Most of the snakes after being recovered are left in the forests of Aravallis. In some of the rescue operations, assistance from CRPF that have their headquarters have also been sought.

The venturing of snakes on a large scale again highlights the degradation of Aravallis in the city. The city wildlife officials were to collaborate with the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun towards implementing the mechanism of wildlife protection in Aravallis. However, no mechanism has been set under this plan. Further, there were plans to install radio collar devices among the held leopards so that their movements can be tracked. This process has also not been implemented as of now. Besides leopards, other wildlife species found in city Aravallis are Hyenas, Nilgais Civet cats, and rabbits. There are also large numbers of exotic birds that abound in the green belt area during breeding seasons.

Besides the bureaucratic delays, the officials raised the issue of encroachments, illegal mining and human hostility among other major factors jeopardizing the safety of wildlife in Aravallis.

“On our part, we are taking major steps towards protecting the wildlife in Aravallis. A huge budget has been allocated for building the fences so that the wild animals do not stray into human areas. We are also now digging in a large number of pits in collaboration with other agencies so that animals do not have to venture outside for water,” said a senior forest official.