Heat forces reptiles into residential areas in Agra

Agra, May 11 As temperature rises, the reptiles that were cosily hiding in safe spaces have ventured out into residential areas, looking for cooler comforts.

Within a week this month, as many as 30 cases of reptiles slithering into homes or public spaces have been reported.

A Wildlife SOS functionary said a four-foot-long venomous cobra was rescued from the toilet of a house in a colony of Agra.

The rising temperature has forced reptiles and other wild animals to venture out of their natural habitat in search of cooler places to seek respite from the excessive heat.

These sightings have kept the Wildlife SOS rapid response unit quite busy in Agra.

On Monday morning, Wildlife SOS received a call about a Cobra that was spotted in the toilet of a house in Kirawali, Fatehpur Sikri Road, Agra.

The four-foot-long venomous reptile was found coiled up on a pipe.

The rapid response unit immediately reached the location with the necessary rescue equipment. The snake was carefully extricated and transferred into a transportation carrier.

This was followed by the rescue of three Indian rat snakes, a spectacled Cobra and a Monitor lizard. An Indian rat snake was found inside Balaji Motors in Runkata, while another was found underneath a bed in Nagla Murli.

The four-foot-long Monitor lizard was sighted on the balcony of a house in Shahganj, Agra.

Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, said: "Snakes are cold-blooded animals so their body temperature varies with that of the environment. They are unable to self-regulate their temperature if it gets too warm and are forced to seek out cooler places during the daytime. We are glad to see people taking the right measures and considering the well-being of these highly misunderstood reptiles by calling our helpline."

Baiju Raj M.V, Director, Conservation Projects, Wildlife SOS, said: "In these last 10 days alone, we have responded to more than 30 reptile-related calls and the number is still on a rise. As the heatwave continues there will be more such sightings of reptiles in and around the city. We request people to keep supporting our cause and report any sighting. Our rescue team works round the clock to ensure no call for aid is left unanswered."