Navi Mumbai: Four snakes and a monitor lizard were rescued from various parts of Navi Mumbai and Mumbai in the past 72 hours. Animal rights group Plant and Animals Welfare Society (PAWS-MUMBAI) said that destruction of greenery and other developmental projects have disturbed reptiles, causing them to come towards urban areas.The rescued snakes included a five-foot-long Indian spectacled cobra near Airoli toll naka and three Indian rock pythons from Powai, Gandhinagar and Vikhroli (east) areas in suburban Mumbai.Volunteers from the joint wildlife rescue team of the International Organisation for Animal Protection (OIPA), Amma Care Foundation (ACF) and PAWS-Mumbai safely rescued the venomous cobra from the busy highway near Airoli toll site. The rescuer was Abhijit Chavan, while the distress caller was Sunny Sangati.Nisha Kunju of PAWS-MUMBAI, who coordinated the rescue operation, stated, “The timely information provided by an alert citizen and the prompt response of our rescue volunteer made it possible to safely rescue the venomous cobra from the busy highway and release it back into its natural habitat.”She appealed to citizens not to attempt to catch or handle snakes if they encounter one. Instead, they should immediately contact the Forest Department or a trained wildlife rescue team.Among the three Indian rock pythons rescued, the biggest one was eight feet long, from inside the Labour Camp at IIT-Bombay Powai campus.In another operation, an approximately 2.5-foot-long monitor lizard was rescued from a tree in the backyard of Bungalow No 4 at Powai Vihar, after a distress call from Moushmi Krishnan.Sunish Subramanian, honorary wildlife warden, was present during the release of the rescued reptiles.Citizens can report any such sightings of wild animals to Helpline 1926 or ACF PAWS-Mumbai Helpline 98334 80388.
