BHUBANESWAR : In a daredevil act, members of the Snake Helpline on Tuesday rescued a 10-feet-long python which had fallen into a 40-feet-deep well at Girinda village of Tangi range in Khurda forest division.
Sources said local residents noticed the reptile struggling to come out of the well and immediately alerted the forest field staff. Soon, a team of forest officials along with the Snake helpline and fire services personnel reached the spot and began the rescue operation.
A five-member team of the Snake Helpline, equipped with rope and other safety gears, carried out the rescue to save the snake trapped in 5-feet-deep water of the well and unable to climb out. The rescue operation, that lasted for over two hours, drew several onlookers appreciating the team’s daring efforts. Snake Helpline general secretary Subhendu Mallik said two members of the team - Durga Madhab Mohapatra and Rajesh Sutar, entered into the well after ensuring that its bottom had adequate oxygen.
“The duo carefully secured the snake from the water using specialised tools. After being retrieved, the snake was checked for injuries and later released into its natural habitat with the help of forest officials,” he said.
Mallik said the rescue was challenging as the well was quite deep. “However, we are glad that the python, a schedule I species, was saved successfully,” he added.