Hyderabad: 57% snakes rescued are spectacled cobras

HYDERABAD: Around 57% of snakes rescued in the city are spectacled cobras, raising fears of their widespread habitat destruction caused primarily by increasing construction activity. Friends of Snakes Society members said they have rescued and relocated 4,793 snakes until June 30, 2021 from Hyderabad and surrounding districts, despite the pandemic and lockdown.
Blaming construction activity around Outer Ring Road, rescuers say more calls came from Gachibowli, Patancheru, Kukatpally and other locations on the western corridor.

Data reveals that around 24% of snakes rescued are rat snakes, followed by 5% being Russell’s Viper and 4% Checkered Keelback. The rest 10% are non-venomous snakes belonging to 17 species.
On the eve of World Snakes Day, experts said that during the monsoons, burrows and crevices on the ground get flooded, forcing the snakes to search for higher and drier hideouts. “This is one of the reasons for the increased frequency of snake encounters during the rainy months,” an official said.
Avinash Visvanathan, general secretary of Friends of Snakes Society, said that snakes act as intermediate predators and their role in the food chain is irreplaceable. “Most snake species hunt rodents and keep their population under control, they save several crores of rupees worth of foodgrains and standing crops. Various factors like habitat loss, climate change, diseases and killings by humans are impacting them,” he said.
To conserve snakes and mitigate snakebites, Friends of Snakes Society has been working on rescue and relocation of snakes since 1995. The society receives over 100 calls on its helpline every day seeking assistance to remove snakes that enter residences or office spaces.