After a decade, frequent pythons spotting stumps experts

RUDRAPUR: After remaining on the verge of extinction for over a decade, frequent spotting of pythons in the plains of Uttarakhand recently has stumped the wildlife experts and local residents. The experts say that reduction in the population of pythons was mainly due to deforestation and use of pesticides on agricultural lands. However, their significant breeding is a good sign for the environment, they said.
Wildlife expert Dr Sunil Hafiz told TOI that transferring of land to farmers on lease under the agriculture promotion policy had ruined the habitat of the pythons in the past.
“Deforestation for agriculture and use of pesticides and insecticides led to the decline of python population as the chemicals entered the snake through its prey. This hampered the reproduction rate in pythons and also led to organ disorder, leaving them on the brink of extinction in the plains of Uttarakhand,” said city veterinarian Dr Sarpreet Singh Thind.
Thind said that snakes have infra red vision and smell their prey through their tongue containing pheromones, which sends the information to an organ called jacobson’s located in the head of the snake. “But the use of chemicals disturbed this process and led to a decrease in their number in the Terai region. While many died due to chemicals, others were killed by people during clearing of land for agricultural purpose,” he said.
Hafiz said that there are mainly three species of pythons in India -- Indian python, black-tailed python and Indian rock python. “They are non-venomous and kill their prey by strangulating it. They swallow the rodent as a whole,” he said.
The wildlife expert said that an ideal habitat for snakes are dense forests and mud-walled houses. “In areas like these, a female python usually lays 40 to 50 eggs and it takes roughly 55 to 65 days for the eggs to hatch. The female python is quite protective and does not leave the nest before the eggs hatch,” Hafiz said.
Divisional forest officer (DFO) Dr Parag Madhukar Dhakate said that it is not possible for forest officials to count the number of nests in the entire state. “Plains of Uttarakhand are home to several species of snakes, but pythons are undoubtedly increasing in the area. Many eggs have been found in the forests recently and also a 15-feet python was rescued from the engine of a car in Haridwar,” said the DFO.
Chief veterinary medical officer (CVMO) of US Nagar Dr Ravindra Chandra told TOI that International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified pythons in ‘near threatened’ list. “Terai region and the plains stretching till Shivalik Range in Haridwar are the most suitable habitats for pythons as the area has sufficient number of animals to prey on, like the rodents, mammals, lizards, deer and birds,” Chandra said.
“However, their growing numbers can lead to events of their confrontation with humans. The forest department is organizing awareness camps for farmers in the Terai region to protect the animals, especially pythons. We help in rescuing animals with the help of the department when we receive calls or information,” he said.