Rock Python rescued from village near Metro site in Aarey

The seven-feet-long python was rescued from Navapada and later released in its natural habitat

Just a day after mid-day reported that a team of NGO RAWW found 143 birds in just 125 minutes around the Metro III car shed site, contrary to what the authorities believe that there is no wildlife in the area, another wildlife enthusiast rescued an Indian Rock Python from a tribal hamlet just 300 metres from the site.

Speaking to mid-day, Kaushal Dubey, a snake rescuer from Aarey Milk Colony, said that in the wee hours of Tuesday he received a call from a house in Navapada where the snake was spotted. "The call was from an area which is just a few 100 metres from the Metro III car shed site. As I was not in Aarey at that time, I informed another snake rescuer, who later went to the spot."

Duresh Kadam, a snake rescuer from Mahakali along with another rescuer Sanskriti Baptista reached the spot around 1.30 am on Tuesday and found the seven-feet-long python near a heap of firewood kept close to Sachin Pawar's house. Both the rescuers safely rescued the snake and went to the Aarey police station to inform the cops about the place where it was found. They also made an entry in the police diary, as it is a Schedule-1 species, and later released it in its natural environment.

The area from where the snake was rescued is less than 250-300 metres from the Metro car shed site and local snake rescuers are of the opinion that earlier other snakes including Indian Spectacled Cobra, Russell's Viper, Saw Scaled Viper, Rat Snake, Common Krait and Checkered Keelback were rescued from the area. On March 3, 2015, mid-day had done a story (Save Aarey: Mumbai Metro III site home to Indian rock python?) about a cop, Yogendra Satam, (also a snake rescuer) who rescued an Indian Rock Python from the grasslands within the Metro shed plot.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates