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Guess what was found at Bhandup recently? An African Ball Python

A random snake rescue in Bhandup turned out to be extraordinary as the rescuers were stunned when they realised that the tail they were holding belonged to a sub-Saharan African Ball Python.

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Sub-Saharan African Ball Python.
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 A random snake rescue in Bhandup turned out to be extraordinary as the rescuers were stunned when they realised that the tail they were holding belonged to a sub-Saharan African Ball Python, an exotic species.
Once they caught it, the rescuers faced another problem. Exotic species like the African Ball Python are not allowed to be released into the wild. The rescuers are now keeping the snake with them, after the Thane forest department gave the green signal. The snake, which was rescued on the night of August 21, is being fed a mice every week.


According to Khushal Vaishnav of the Wildlife Welfare Association (WWA), on August 21, around 11 pm, he received a call from a building near the Shivaji Talao area at Bhandup. "I found that the snake had crawled up to the wall of a nullah, separating the building. Its tail was out and seeing the pattern, I could not believe my eyes. It was a Ball Python, which does not belong to India," he said. "If we pulled the tail, the snake could have got injured. So we decided to break some bricks," he said.

As they started breaking the wall, the snake started slithering out and was safely rescued. "The forest department sanctioned us the custody of the snake after a medical examination to confirm whether it snake was healthy or not," said Aditya Patil of WWA. The WWA has to regularly update the forest department about the health of the python, which is 2.7-ft long and weighs around 830 grams.
"This species of pythons are shy and do not grow too long. Hence, it has a huge demand in the pet trade. At times, the owners get bored or find managing the snakes difficult and abandon them," he said. This snake, too, might have been either dumped by the owner or it might have escaped, he said.

He said it was obvious that the snake was brought through illegal wildlife trade that flourishes in Mumbai. An African Ball Python is normally sold for around around Rs 10,000-15,000.
Mayur Kamath, honorary wildlife warden of Mumbai and state wildlife board member, said that this should serve as a wake-up call. One snake rescued means there must be countless others that have been released or dumped in forest areas. "People buy everything from snakes to crocodiles to iguanas from the internet as well as shops that are famous for selling all kinds of pets in the city. Once they grow up, they dump them. It's not good for our ecosystem as these exotic species kill our native species," he said.

So, what's the way out? "No amount of raids on pets shops and seizures are going to work. If this trade is regulated by the state forest department, every species sold needs to be documented and there can be better control and monitoring," he suggested.

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