Cobra Rescued from Snake Charmers in Shalibanda

Hyderabad: In a joint operation 10 days ahead of Naga Panchami, the Greater Hyderabad Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GHSPCA) and People for Animals (PFA) rescued a cobra from snake charmers in Shalibanda early on Tuesday.

It an annual feature by animal welfare activists to rescue snakes, especially in and around Shalibanda, Hussaini Alam, Gowlipura, Begum Bazar, Doodh Bowli, Lal Darwaza, Ramkoti, Mogalpura and Kamatipura, where the practice of displaying and even feeding milk to snakes is distinct during Naga Panchami.

“Last year, we rescued 10 snakes from these areas,” GHSPCA coordinator Soudharm Bhandari told Deccan Chronicle.

Snake charmers display reptiles in public where people can offer prayers for a fee on the auspicious day, he said. This year the festival falls on August 9. “We received a call from a resident in Shalibanda informing us that a female snake charmer was visiting houses in the area for the rituals. We immediately reached the spot and rescue the cobra from her. She fled from the spot but after an hour, she was caught. We found out that she was from Ibrahimpatnam. We have planned to start locating snake charmers and rescue snakes from August 1.”

The rescued reptile is now under observation in a veterinary clinic.

Anyone spotting a snake charmer in their area can inform GHSPCA and PFA on mobile numbers: 8886743881, 9394578568 and 9490149601.