HUBBALI: A 34-years old man walked into a wedding ceremony in Vijayapura with a green-vine snake in his hand and posed for photographs with the groom.
As the photo went viral, the Forest officials traced the offender Hanumesh through his social media account and warmed him. They explained the ethical ways of catching snakes and releasing them back.
According to reports, the accused had gone for a snake rescue in the city limits. As he was getting delayed for his friend's marriage, he went with the snake to attain the wedding.
"The man has confessed to the crime and he had no other intentions. Hence he has been given a warning and we also provided him with a snake-catching kit. The kit has a stick, safety material and covers to carry the snake," said Prashanth PKM, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Vijayapura.
"We have made an app and social media group for snake rescuers in Vijayapura. All the snake rescuers are in the group and they update the rescue and releases of the snakes soon after the call is completed. We also ensure that the snakes that are caught are released in the nearby wooded areas sooner," the officer explained.
The officer further added that Belagavi and Vijayapura districts report large numbers of snake bite cases and the people should understand that they should go to the nearest doctor and not any religious centres.
"There are cases where snake bite victims are taken to Swamiji for prayers rather than taking them for administering the antivenom. We are requesting people to go to the doctor irrespective of bites of venomous and nonvenomous snakes," the officer added.