Showers send snakes into homes
Oppili.P@timesgroup.com
Chennai:23,09,2019
Intermittent rain in the city has pushed our reptilian friends out of their burrows, increasing the rescue phone calls to wildlife office. The wildlife headquarters range office in Guindy has been receiving eight or nine calls a day to rescue snakes, including cobras, that entered houses, said a wildlife official. There were three or four calls earlier.
Herpetologist V Kalaiarasan said burrows of snakes get inundated during rain, forcing the reptiles to look for alternative sites. “They usually try to take cover under rocks, at houses where people stack bricks or tiles,” he said.
In Chennai, one can come across cobras in many areas, Kalaiarasan said. “Other venomous serpents such as Russell’s viper, sawscaled viper and krait, though found in the city, are not commonly found entering homes,” he said. Russell’s viper can be seen in Velachery and its surroundings as they are found in the Guindy National Park.
Irula tribal Rajendran said in many areas, rat snakes enter houses. “Their length usually creates panic among people. Many are unaware that the species is non-venomous.”
Records show that around 3,000 people die due to snake bites in Tamil Nadu annually. This is mainly due to lack of proper secondary treatment, says S Paulraj, executive chairman of Chennai Snake Park Trust. “By and large, snake bite victims are able get proper initial treatment. But not thereafter,” said Paulraj. The trust is conducting snakebite awareness programmes for school and college students, especially those living on the outskirts of the city. They are the ones who frequently encounter snakes and hence the awareness drive is focussed on them, he added.
Oppili.P@timesgroup.com
Chennai:23,09,2019
Intermittent rain in the city has pushed our reptilian friends out of their burrows, increasing the rescue phone calls to wildlife office. The wildlife headquarters range office in Guindy has been receiving eight or nine calls a day to rescue snakes, including cobras, that entered houses, said a wildlife official. There were three or four calls earlier.
Herpetologist V Kalaiarasan said burrows of snakes get inundated during rain, forcing the reptiles to look for alternative sites. “They usually try to take cover under rocks, at houses where people stack bricks or tiles,” he said.
In Chennai, one can come across cobras in many areas, Kalaiarasan said. “Other venomous serpents such as Russell’s viper, sawscaled viper and krait, though found in the city, are not commonly found entering homes,” he said. Russell’s viper can be seen in Velachery and its surroundings as they are found in the Guindy National Park.
Irula tribal Rajendran said in many areas, rat snakes enter houses. “Their length usually creates panic among people. Many are unaware that the species is non-venomous.”
Records show that around 3,000 people die due to snake bites in Tamil Nadu annually. This is mainly due to lack of proper secondary treatment, says S Paulraj, executive chairman of Chennai Snake Park Trust. “By and large, snake bite victims are able get proper initial treatment. But not thereafter,” said Paulraj. The trust is conducting snakebite awareness programmes for school and college students, especially those living on the outskirts of the city. They are the ones who frequently encounter snakes and hence the awareness drive is focussed on them, he added.
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