Wildlife rescue & transit facility gets 25 snake-sighting calls daily

Kolkata: Snake sightings across the city are at an all-time high with the wildlife animal rescue and transit facility centre in Salt Lake fielding around 20 to 25 calls daily — most from the Rajarhat-New Town area. On an average, two to three snakes are being rescued from New Town and the surrounding areas every day and the forest department is regularly conducting awareness camps in complexes.Officials said that apart from harmless and non-venomous snakes, like the Indian rat snake or buff striped keelback, venomous snakes, like Russell’s viper and cobra, are also being spotted in residential areas. The authorities on Friday rescued a cobra from the premises of a gated community in New Town. “Snake sightings cases are at the highest in the last 10 to 12 years. We are receiving around 25 calls of snake sightings on an average from across the city, with most cases coming from Rajarhat, New Town and adjacent areas,” said an wildlife animal rescue and transit facility centre official. With daily sightings and frequent cases of snake bite, the authorities are conducting awareness programmes in complexes in Rajarhat, informing people about what to do if a snake is spotted and the dos and don’ts in case of a bite. One such workshop was conducted at Uniworld City housing complex on Saturday. “When bitten by a venomous snake, the person must start getting anti-venom serum treatment within four hours. They must be taken to a nearby healthcare facility at the earliest,” said an official. Two snake-bite deaths occurred in New Town in a gap of two weeks this month, and a rural hospital in Bhangar that is getting most snake-bite cases from Rajarhat has registered 13 such cases in the last two months. In Salt Lake, there have been a number of sightings this monsoon, and an AA Block resident was bitten at his doorstep a month ago. The Bidhhannagar Municipal Corporation is now mowing weeds and grass in the parks and green verges. “A snake was recently spotted near the playground. We are urging the civic authorities to keep the parks and playgrounds clean,” said a resident of AE Block. “Snakes have been spotted in our block and a resident was bitten. The civic body and forest department took pro-mpt action. We have been conducting awareness drives in the block as well. We immediately alert the local ward office whenever a snake is spotted,” said AA Block committee secretary Partha Chakraborty.
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