The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Rare reptile rescued

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 01, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Rare reptile rescued

P. Oppili

— Photo: R. Shivaji Rao

Uncommon: The trapped Russell’s Kukri.

CHENNAI: Wildlife officials rescued a Russell’s Kukri snake, a non-poisonous variety, from a house in Madipakkam a few days ago.

K.S. Sathyamurthy, Wildlife Ranger (Headquarters), said a resident informed his office that a snake had entered his house.

Employees specialised in trapping snakes were sent to the place and they trapped it.

Light brown in colour, sighting of Russell’s Kukri snake is uncommon in the city, he said.

Snake Park, Children’s Park or the Vandalur zoo is not having this species of snake in their collection, he said.

Romulus Whitaker, a renowned herpetologist, said two types of Kukri snakes are found in the country — Common or Banded Kukri and Russell’s Kukri.

“Their front teeth will look like a Kukri (a small knife used by Gorkhas) and hence the name. The Kukri snakes used to feed on eggs of other reptiles,” Mr. Whitaker said. The Kukri snakes are found in scrub jungles, farms and at times even gardens, he said.

Now the snake has been housed at the rescue centre inside the Wildlife (Headquarters) office in Velachery. In a day or two, it would be released into the wild, Mr. Sathyamurthy added.

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