Dead snake stunt: Telaulim resident granted bail

Margao: The forest department produced Telaulim-Navelim resident Flaviano Diniz before the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Margao late on Monday evening after arresting him for killing two rat snakes. He was later granted bail. The forest department has however appealed to people not to harm snakes and to instead call the forest helpline.

The forest department, after its investigation into a viral video clip of a man dragging two dead rat snakes on scooter, had arrested Diniz on Monday for violation of Section 9 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Rat snakes are protected under Schedule II of the Act. Under Section 9 of the Act, hunting of wild animals listed under the Schedules I to IV is prohibited.

Range forest officer Prakash Naik informed of the developments while appealing to people not to harm snakes.

“Rat snakes are non-venomous in nature and in the event of finding a snake, we urge the public to call our helpline number listed on the forest department website. We have rescue attendants across the state who will respond to the call,” he said.

It is a common phenomenon for people to find snakes near homes especially during the monsoon. The department has two dedicated helpline numbers, one for North Goa and one for South Goa listed on its website in case of rescues.