The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : After rain, snakes storm houses

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 16, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

After rain, snakes storm houses

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: It may have only rained "cats and dogs" in October, but it brought out into the open creatures of other kinds too. Mostly reptiles.

Many homes in the flood-hit areas suddenly found themselves hosting unwanted guests in the forms of snakes of all sizes and shapes. Rescue teams of animal welfare organisations were busy responding to calls from panic stricken residents who wanted to get rid of the snakes that had slithered into their houses.

Right into the first week of November, calls were coming in and volunteers had rescued more than 150 snakes in 10 days, according to Sharat Babu of People for Animals (PFA).

"Malleswaram became an unintended snake park after the rain after Sankey Tank overflowed, displacing a large number of snakes.

Most were harmless, non-poisonous water snakes, which were caught and later released far away from residential areas by PFA volunteers. There were other, more dangerous snakes too which were caught. They included Vipers, Kraits and Cobras and these had to be handled more carefully," he said.

At the flooded HSR Layout too, a number of snakes including some cobras, were caught after they gave residents a fright. Hosur Road and suburbs off it, Chandra Layout, Hebbal and Nagasandra, had their share of snakes escaping the flood. According to animal welfare organisations, most such suburbs were once forests and the natural habitat of snakes, which lived on their natural prey like mice, rats and frogs.

The non-governmental organisations have appealed to the people not to panic as soon as they see a snake.

Only four poisonous varieties are found around the city and they are the Cobra, Russel's Viper, Saw Scaled Viper and Krait. With a little care, they can be identified and volunteers of the non-governmental organisations informed about their presence.

The cobra, when disturbed, raises its hood which has the typical "V" mark that distinguishes it. Contrary to popular belief, it does not attack unless disturbed. The Russel's Viper is mostly brown and has diamond shaped scales.

The Krait is mostly active after dark, rarely seen during the day and is black with white parallel rings that can be clearly seen. The Saw Scaled Viper has small diamond shaped scales and is usually less than one foot long and hisses when alarmed. It may burrow into the soil.

The animal welfare organisations advice that keeping the compounds free of weeds and shrubbery usually keeps snakes away and except for the four poisonous varieties, the rest are harmless and can be chased away.

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