Over 20 kg, 8-foot-long python rescued from Hyderabad’s Himayatsagar reservoir

An eight-foot-long Indian Rock Python that coiled around a gate of Himayatsagar reservoir, on Hyderabad outskirts, was rescued by D. Vara Prasad, a volunteer at Friends of Snake Society on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: By Arrangement

An eight-foot-long, over 20 kg Indian Rock Python coiled around a crest gate of Himayatsagar reservoir on the outskirts of Hyderabad, was rescued by a member of Friends of Snakes Society (FOSS) on Sunday.

The volunteer, Dakarapu Vara Prasad, scaled down to the spot of the crest gate with a rope tied around his waist. During the rescue, the python tightly coiled around Mr. Vara Prasad’s hand when he was yet to scale up to the ground.

It was seen in the video that he asked for a bag hoping to draw the reptile into it. However, it continued to clench him. After struggling for some time, the snake was brought up. It was later bagged. The rescued snake was shifted to Snake Rescue Centre for care and subsequent relocation.

The Pythons grow up to 20 feet

FoSS general secretary Avinash Visvanathan said that the Indian Rock Pythons, which are non-venomous, grow up to 20 feet. Usually, in and around Hyderabad, volunteers from the society rescue the pythons up to the size of 10 feet. Mr. Avinash said that the snakes constrict their prey by coiling around them.

Asked if he was not worried that the reptile will coil around his neck or head, Mr. Vara Prasad said that he was careful not to bring his hand, to which it coiled around, near his neck or face. “We take all necessary precautions since we know the behaviour of snakes; some are aggressive and bite, some slither away. The pythons stay put and do not move when they are scared. So I took necessary precautions. I want the snake, people and I to be alive,” said Mr. Vara Prasad.

Mr. Avinash said that the one has to be careful if the pythons are over 12 feet. If an eight-foot python tries to constrict, one person can manage to get released from its grip. Mr. Vara Prasad said that he has rescued the snakes earlier too. Once, Mr. Vara Prasad said, he rescued three Indian Rock Pythons at Langar Houz.