13 python eggs hatch in Mangaluru

MANGALURU: About 13 python eggs that were rescued in April hatched on Thursday. Animal rescuer Tauseef Ahmed had recovered 23 python eggs from Kulai in the outskirts of Mangaluru on April 27 after two local residents Shubha and Soumya from Kodikeri in Kulai noticed them.
The hatching was delayed probably because of artificial incubation, said Tauseef, who after rescuing the eggs, handed them over to the forest department, who in turn handed them to the Pilikula Biological Park. “Since hatching was delayed, there were doubts about the survival of the pythons. We are happy to see 13 hatchlings. They will be left in the wild in a week or two. At a time when the population of pythons is decreasing, this is good news,” he said.
“The number of python rescue calls has reduced when compared to cobras and rat snakes. People have myths attached to pythons, that they are capable of swallowing children,” said Tauseef.
On April 27, while excavation was being carried out near a house, a big python was found, which escaped, but it left its eggs behind. The workers threw the eggs away, hoping that animals would eat them.