Snake sightings on the rise with soaring temperatures across Delhi: Wildlife SOS

“Last month, the team rescued a rat snake from the National Academy of Broadcasting and Multimedia hostel in Mukherjee Nagar. In another close call, a rat snake was rescued from the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus after it was found coiled up behind a water cooler in Chandrabhaga hostel,” Wildlife SOS said in a statement.

“A wolf snake took a family residing in Chandan Vihar by surprise when it popped up in their bathroom. This was followed by the rescue of a common sand boa from a house in Inderpuri and a cobra from Alipur in north Delhi,” it added.

An official from the non-profit said snake sightings begin increasing in the capital from April onwards till the monsoon season.

Wasim Akram, deputy director of special projects at Wildlife SOS, said, “Snakes are ectothermic which means that they need to use outside sources to regulate their body temperature. Therefore, on hot summer days, they seek out shade and shelter to stay cool. Our team has responded to over 30 calls in the past month alone.”

Kartick Satyanarayan, CEO and co-founder of Wildlife SOS, said the establishment of their rapid response unit is a result of such incidents.

“Our goal is to alleviate common misconceptions about reptiles and sensitise people to these incredible animals, using education, awareness and positive intervention to help mitigate human-reptile conflict,” he said.