‘It was in kitchen, on third floor…': Snake sightings surge in Delhi as monsoon pushes them out of natural habitat

Indian Express

6 days ago

'It was in the kitchen… on the third floor,' said East of Kailash RWA president Karan Aggarwal as he recalled that he was informed about the presence of a snake on Sunday in a house in the neighbourhood. The three-foot-long Indian rat snake was found inside the kitchen cabinet at a house on the third floor in a residential building, triggering alarm in the area.
After the Wildlife SOS emergency helpline was approached, the NGO's rapid response unit arrived and caught the yellowish, slender, and non-venomous reptile with black crossbands, said residents. Even as such sightings may sound rare, incidents like these become common during monsoon in the Capital.
With flooded burrows and waterlogged grounds, snakes seek dry refuge and often get pushed out of their natural shelters and end up inside homes, schools, warehouses, and even government buildings, according to experts. 'The monsoon season typically leads to an increase in snake sightings as they seek dry and safe shelters, often leading them into urban areas,' said Suvidha Bhatnagar, Director of Communications at Wildlife SOS.
In the last few weeks, Wildlife SOS says it has caught multiple snakes across Delhi-NCR. A four-foot-long spectacled cobra was removed from a Jawaharlal Nehru University canteen, where it was found coiled close to a gas cylinder.
In the first week of July, a similar incident took place at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence — a rat snake was found and later removed.
In Greater Noida, a cobra had to be removed from inside an almirah, while in Ghaziabad, a seven-foot-long rat snake was rescued from a cricket practice net in Raj Nagar Extension. In Paschim Vihar, Burari, and Chhatarpur too, snakes have been spotted and removed by the teams of Wildlife SOS. All these incidents were reported in June.
This sharp increase in snake sightings and rescues is not limited to Delhi. In Agra, over 100 snake rescue calls were received between June and mid-July this year, according to the NGO. The reptiles thus removed included 34 Indian rat snakes, 23 spectacled cobras, and 21 common wolf snakes.
Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, said, 'Instead of reacting out of fear, people are now seeking safe and humane solutions. This change is not just encouraging, it is essential for the survival of these ecologically critical reptiles.'
Similar trends have been observed in the rest of the country, according to the NGO. For example, in Kashmir, the Wildlife SOS team recently caught multiple snakes from residential areas of Pampore and Budgam. In one case, a snake was found inside the bonnet of a car. In another, two snakes were taken out from the same chicken coop.
In July 2024, the NGO's rapid response team in Delhi handled at least 48 reptile rescues and in July 2023, they reported 56 reptile rescues, predominantly snakes, following heavy rain.
The Delhi Forest and Wildlife department also has an active helpline number for snake rescues, with multiple rapid response teams deployed based on the forest divisions, said a senior forest department official.
In Delhi, the NGO has observed that the monsoon season coincides with the hatching period of several native snake species. 'During past monsoon seasons, snakes such as the spectacled cobra, common krait, Indian rock python, Indian rat snake, and black-headed royal snake have frequently been rescued from homes and commercial areas in Delhi-NCR,' it said in an advisory issued on June 23.
Baiju Raj M V, Director of Conservation Projects at Wildlife SOS, and a herpetologist, said, 'The increase in rescue calls shows that awareness campaigns and community outreach are working, but there's still a long way to go.'
Adding to that, Aggarwal says, 'Residents do not know what to do when they see a snake… and whom to contact. There is a serious lack of awareness of such procedures. There were many incidents last year too. We are most worried for our children since they are more vulnerable to these in the park.'
The NGO said it actively educated residents and debunks myths. Indian rat snakes, for instance, are non-venomous and play a vital role in controlling rodent populations, yet they are often mistaken for venomous species and killed out of fear.
As per the Wildlife SOS protocol, the reptile is medically examined and if deemed healthy, released into a suitable wild habitat away from human settlements. 'When people respond calmly and contact trained professionals, it results in a win for both safety and conservation,' said Satyanarayan.
To help prevent such encounters, the NGO 'recommends keeping surroundings clean and rodent-free, sealing drains and cracks, storing waste off the ground, and avoiding barefoot walks in grassy or waterlogged areas.'