Snakes rescued after they stray close to human habitats in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: The city has recorded a high number of snake sightings in the recent past and one group, which works towards rescuing and rehabilitation of snakes, claims to have rescued a total of 3,240 snakes from areas marked too close to human contact.

The group, Friends of Snakes, says the list comprises 1,531 spectacled cobras and 1,026 rat snakes. In 2013, a total of 2,575 snakes were rescued, marking a 28 per cent rise in number of rescues.

Avinash Visvanathan, a member of Friends of Snakes, said this number could be interpreted as the number of snakes that were saved from being killed or the number of snake bite-related incidents averted.

The number also represents the rise in the number of snakes displaced due to ongoing construction activities.

A study of the forensic records on snakes bite-related deaths in the past five years, across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, revealed that 61 per cent of victims were bitten on their legs and 28 per cent received bites on their hands. It was also observed that men are bitten twice more often than women.