With plastic bags and net products strewn all around, there have been several cases of animals and birds getting entangled in them. The latest was that of a 6-foot-long Black-headed Royal Snake, found twisted in a synthetic tennis court net at Ghaziabad’s Indirapuram residential colony.
The Windsor Colony residents of Indirapuram were amazed at finding this reptile early in the morning. Seeing it struggling in this stressful situation, they informed Wildlife SOS and the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department.
The Rapid Response Unit of the NGO reached the location and in a rescue operation which took more than 30 minutes, carefully extricated the snake. Following its identification as a Black-headed Royal snake, this 6-foot-long reptile was then safely transferred into a transport carrier and handed over to the Forest Department officials.
After medical examination it was found that the snake had not sustained any injury and it was released back into its natural habitat.
The Black-headed royal snake or Spalerosophis atriceps is also known as a diadem snake. Protected under Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, these reptiles can grow up to 7 feet in length and are excellent climbers and can often be spotted on trees, low bushes and crevices. When faced with threat, they coil up and hiss loudly as a defence mechanism, but do not bite in retaliation.
Being non-venomous, these snakes are harmless to humans and their diet includes rodents, lizards, birds and even small mammals.
Talking about this incident, Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder, Wildlife SOS observed: “Synthetic nets found in gardens and fields are a bane for wild animals – especially reptiles – and are capable of causing severe fatalities. Unsuspecting wildlife on being entangled or trapped in them can die from suffocation.”
