New Delhi (NVI): Security personnel at President’s Estate were surprised by an unusual visitor- a cobra snake that slithered into the security cabin at Gate number 8 and when spotted, went into hiding under the furniture.
The reptile was spotted at the gate of Rashtrapati Bhavan last evening. After seeing the cobra, the security personnel immediately alerted the Police Control Room who in turn contacted the Wildlife SOS Rapid Response Unit on the hotline, requesting a team to be urgently dispatched to the President’s Estate.
A Rapid Response Unit form the NGO came armed with protective equipment and gear to carry out the rescue operation. The team found the cobra snake after some searching under the chairs.
Following this, the Wildlife SOS team used extreme dexterity and caution to gently and carefully extricate the snake while ensuring the animal was not stressed and kept calm. Following observation and checkup, the snake was released in a safe natural habitat.
Kartick Satyanarayan, CEO & Co-founder of Wildlife SOS, said “Thanks to the alertness of the security personnel at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the cobra snake was detected in time. We are grateful to the Delhi Police for alerting Wildlife SOS to this emergency call. Despite widespread fear and ignorance regarding reptiles in the country, over the years the Wildlife
SOS hotline receives hundreds of calls, thus confirming that awareness regarding reptiles is increasing. This is a positive change.”
Wasim Akram, Deputy Director – Special Projects, Wildlife SOS, said, “At any given time, the most number of snakes rescued by Wildlife SOS are Cobras. These rescues are dangerous and risky, hence the necessity of having trained rescuers carry out such sensitive operations, in the interest of public safety and protection of urban wildlife.”
India is home to over 270 species of snakes, most of which are non-venomous and harmless. Snakes are misunderstood due to superstitions and myths and are often perceived as dangerous, whereas the reality is that snakes are the friends of farmers and help protect their crops from rodents. Reptiles are met with fear and hostility due to ignorance and it is time we give snakes the credit they deserve, the Wildlife SOS said in a statement.
