HYDERABAD: Telangana saw an unprecedented surge in snake rescues in 2025, with 15,265 snakes rescued across the state - the highest annual figure since the Friends of Snakes Society was established in 1995. Carried out in coordination with the Telangana Forest department, the operations point to a sharp rise in human–snake encounters as urbanisation continues to expand.
According to FOSS, trained rescue teams responded to calls from urban, peri-urban and nearby rural areas, ensuring safe capture, accurate identification and ethical release of snakes into suitable natural habitats.
Data accessed by TNIE reveal a striking decade-long rise in rescues — from just over 3,000 cases in 2016 to more than 15,000 in 2025, nearly a fivefold increase. While numbers dipped briefly in 2022 due to Covid-related restrictions, rescues rebounded strongly in subsequent years. In all, around 87,000 snakes have been rescued across Telangana over the past ten years.
Seasonal trends show a clear link with weather patterns. Rescue numbers remain moderate between January and March, rise during the hot pre-monsoon months of April and May, and peak from June to September as flooding forces snakes out of their shelters. Activity remains high even in October and November, underscoring the need for preparedness beyond the monsoon season.
Venomous snakes made up over 55% of rescues in 2025, with spectacled cobras, Russell’s vipers and kraits most frequently encountered, raising serious public safety concerns. Experts note that these species adapt well to human-dominated landscapes that provide easy access to food, shelter and water.
Spatial mapping of rescue calls highlighted clear hotspots along Hyderabad’s expanding urban fringe, particularly near the Outer Ring Road. Areas such as Miyapur, Dammaiguda, Rampally, Vanasthalipuram, Balapur, Bandlaguda Jagir and Manikonda recorded high rescue volumes, largely due to rapid construction overlapping with remnant natural habitats.
FOSS general secretary Avinash Viswanathan told TNIE, “We need a shift from a largely reactive rescue model to a more preventive approach. Integrating rescue data into urban planning, protecting natural corridors, improving waste and rodent management and strengthening community awareness in hotspot areas are essential to reduce snake-human conflict.”