KOCHI: It is mating season and pythons are seen slithering around the city. They are found crawling under garbage in the backyard, in the bushes or even curled up under the bed. Forest offices in the district are flooded with emergency calls and these are busy days for the 200-odd snake rescuers in the district.
On Wednesday, a python was spotted atop a tree near the premises of Maharaja’s College. After hours of efforts, rescuers Johny Rajesh, Sreenivas P Kamath and team were able to catch the reptile. A Rapid Response Team of the forest department from Kodanad rescued the snake and released it in the wild.
“The pythons we see in Kochi are Indian Rock Pythons. They are not dangerous. People mistake it to be aggressive like reticulated pythons seen in Indonesia and Andaman islands. The rock pythons, like rat snakes, play a key role in maintaining the ecological balance as they prey on the bandicoot, pups of street dogs and even piglets that proliferate fast,” says Assistant Conservator of Forests Mohammed Anwar.
Sreenivas, who was part of the rescue mission, says though the team reached the campus in the morning, it was not possible to catch the snake as it was perched on top of a tall tree. “The snake was an average adult and weighed around 7kg. As a zoomed image was circulated on social media, there was unnecessary frenzy. We climbed atop of the nearby KSEB building and prodded the reptile using a stick. We caught it around 7pm as the snake came down,” he adds.
The animal rescue team of Kodanad forest range office visits Ernakulam city every three days to collect the snakes caught by rescuers here. These snakes are later released in remote areas under Malayattoor forest division. But why are the rescuers catching the pythons and releasing them in forest areas if they don’t cause any threat to human life?
“We have to rescue a snake when there is an emergency call. Pythons are known as forest dwelling reptiles. So releasing them in a different habitat will not pose a threat. The pythons are naturally seen dwelling around water bodies and marshy grounds. They prey on rats, and it is the presence of rats that attracts the pythons,” says E K Biju, an officer with the Kodanad Rapid Response Team.
“In Kochi, we have noticed pythons living in burrows on the sidewalls of canals and drains. Due to dumping of waste, rats are breeding and proliferating around the canals. This prey base attracts pythons and rat snakes. They play a key role in maintaining the ecological balance. Pythons are non-venomous and they crawl away from humans. They bite only when we disturb it.”
Mohammed points out: “From January 1 to August 31, the state reported eight deaths due to snake bites. But the number of people who died of rat fever during the period is 256. This underscores the importance of predators in maintaining the ecological balance.”
According to experts, pythons have adapted to the city environment as survival is easier here.
A python may lay 25 to 30 eggs at a time and around 25 snakelets are born in the city environment. But there are predators like birds and monitor lizards in the forest which may eat the eggs. Only four or five eggs will hatch in the forest environment.
“There is no need to panic when you see a snake. There are enough snake rescuers in the city. A rescuer can reach the spot within an hour,”assures Mohammed.