Aurangabad: Snake rescuers demand ID cards

AURANGABAD: As the calls for rescuing snakes are on the rise during the monsoon, the rescuers from Aurangabad have demanded the return of their identity cards citing mobility issues during the current lockdown.
The registered snake rescuers, commonly known as ‘Sarp Mitra’ had identity cards issued by the state forest department but they were asked to submitted it in 2017.
Nitesh Jadhav, a certified snake rescuer, said, “We get calls to rescue from urban and rural areas. The free and quick movement during the current situation is not possible. We have to travel not only to rescue snakes, but also to release them into natural habitat.”
Another certified snake rescuer Manoj Gaikwad said rescue call increases during the rainy season as underground holes and other dwelling places for snakes are submerged.
“Minimum 1,500 snakes, including venomous and non-venomous, are rescued from the city limits and outskirts every year, besides those getting killed by humans out of fear. ID cards issued by the forest department in the past helped in distinguishing authorised snake rescuers from unauthorised ones, who take undue advantage like indulgence in trading of snakes and their body parts,” he said.
The office of deputy conservator of the forest for Aurangabad range in the past had released the list of 20 certified snake rescuers in Aurangabad district and nearby areas with all of them operating without ID cards.
The divisional authorities in the past had pointed fingers at the headquarters-level authorities based at Nagpur over an issue related to the recall of ID cards, but the top authorities had distanced themselves from the matter. S P Wadaskar, the deputy conservator of forest, Aurangabad , could not be reached for his comment.