Injured snake undergoes surgery, advised 'bed rest'

RAIPUR: A Dhaman snake, injured grievously after it was hit with an iron rod, was operated upon here earlier this week.

The snake has been now advised `bed rest', and is recuperating, a veterinary doctor said.

Manjit Kaur Bal, a local social activist, said the snake, which is around 4 ft long, was spotted in a house in Naya Raipur area on Wednesday.

Dhaman, also known as the Indian Rat Snake, is a nonvenomous species which is harmless for humans, but members of the family in whose house it was spotted, got scared and hit the reptile with an iron rod.

When Bal's mother came to know about it, she brought the injured snake home by putting it in a sack.

Bal took the snake to Padam Jain, a local veterinary surgeon, who decided to carry out an operation as its innards had come out due to a deep gash.

Bal said the snake was stitched up after surgery which lasted around one-and-a-half hours. It was given anaesthesia before the operation.

Jain said the snake would need at least a week to recover fully.

The surgeon said he performed this kind of an operation for the first time in his career.

At present, the patient is being given antibiotics, and fed glucose and eggs through a pipe. The snake would be released in the wild once it recovers, Jain said.