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Indian Express
2 days ago
- General
- Indian Express
Mumbai records surge in snake sightings Cobras, vipers among 122 snakes rescued in two monsoon months
In the first two months of monsoon this year, Mumbai recorded a surge in snake sightings with as many 122 snakes being rescued from various residential and commercial areas in Mumbai between June 1 and July 25. The snakes are being rescued jointly by the state forest department and Resqink Association of Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) following SOS calls. Data also shows that 266 snakes were rescued this year between January 1 and July 25. Out of the total snakes rescued, 86 are Indian rat snakes, which is the most common non-venomous snake in India, while 49 are spectacled cobra which is the most common venomous snake in the country. Speaking to the Indian Express, Pawan Sharma, honorary wildlife warden and founder of RAWW, said that both these species of snakes mostly feed on rodents. He also said that most of the sightings were in drains and garbage bins. Considering both housing societies and commercial zones have open garbage bins and open drainages, it becomes easy for the reptiles to find a place for hiding. 'In a city like Mumbai, these snakes are almost everywhere right from drainages in residential and commercial spaces to open spaces and public gardens. Our inability to control edible waste and rodent population leads to natural predators like rat snakes and cobras coming into action. Now with non-stop supply of prey and lack of natural predators like mongoose, raptors, etc, the snake population is flourishing,' Sharma said. Some other species that are rescued by the authorities include 26 Indian rock pythons, 25 Russel's vipers, 21 chequered keelbacks and 16 long nosed whip snakes. However, the number of snake rescue operations that were recorded this year is marginally low compared to the past five years. According to the data shared by RAWW, 153 snakes were rescued between June 1 and July 25, last year, while in 2023, 123 snakes were rescued during this same period, a total of 211 snakes were rescued during this period in 2022, 189 in 2021 and 208 in 2020. However, Sharma also said that the drop in numbers doesn't indicate that the snake population is falling in Mumbai. 'Every distress call that is reported may not lead to a successful rescue. Many times snakes escape before our rescue teams reach the spot. These snakes are used to being within the urban habitat and people are usually willing to coexist with snakes, especially when they know that they are non-venomous in nature,' Sharma added. After the snakes are rescued, they are released in their natural habitat after medical assessment. In many cases, rescued eggs are also artificially incubated to ensure the hatchlings are not lost. In June this year, 22 eggs that were rescued along with a rock python were successfully hatched artificially, following which the hatchlings were released in their natural habitat.
Hindustan Times
13-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Endangering wild animals being smuggled seized in CSMIA
Mumbai: The Airport Commissionerate of Mumbai Customs foiled two bids to smuggle wild animals via the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Thursday and Friday, and seized a haul of wild animals including meerkats, great billed parrots, moluccan parrots, sumatran striped rabbits. The seized animals belong to species that are listed as endangered as per the Convention on International Trade and Schedule 4 of the Wildlife Protection Act, said an official. Two international passengers were arrested in connection with the seizures. Box turtle A press note issued by Customs said, 'The officers at the airport recovered three meerkats (two alive and one dead), two great billed parrots or moluccan parrots, two Sumatran striped rabbits and an Indochinese box turtle from a passenger who flew in from Bangkok on Thursday. The passenger was arrested under the Wildlife protection Act, 1972 and Indian Customs Act.' In the second case, a person travelling from Bangkok to Mumbai on Friday was arrested when he was found smuggling two Sumatran striped rabbits (one dead), a dead great billed parrot and one Indochinese box turtle. The animals being smuggled into India were found concealed in a green-coloured trolley bag. Proceedings against the passenger have been initiated as per the provisions of Customs Act, 1962 read with Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the press note said. A wildlife rescue expert team from RAWW (Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare) assisted the officials in ensuring the safety and stabilization of the animals, said Pawan Sharma, founder of RAWW. The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau ordered the deportation of these rescued animals to the country from which they arrived, an official said.
Time of India
27-06-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
Bird rescuers record rise in calls from Pune areas after onset of rains
1 2 3 4 Pune: The onset of monsoon rain spells and winds accompanying them has led to the displacement of many birds from their nests around the city, requiring immediate care by rescuers. Most of these rescuers in various areas said that they are getting a lot of calls regarding hatchlings of crows and the Indian grey hornbill. "A few days ago, we saw that a nest toppled off a tree in the society, and there were a few injured crow chicks. We have a lot of cats in the society, so we contacted the rescuer to help the injured nestlings," said Kusum Chaudhary, a resident of Undri. Keshav Narayan, a resident of Pashan, also raised the alarm when he saw a drenched kite struggling to take flight during a recent downpour. "The kite was shivering and had no strength to fly. It was in our parking lot. We offered it some food and water, but it refused to eat. The bird rescuer came and helped dry the kite," said Narayan. You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune Anil Avachite, who works as a lab assistant at Sassoon hospital, has been doubling up as a bird and snake rescuer for the last 44 years. He said that he rescued more than 15 crow hatchlings over the last couple of days. "This is the season when many crow nestlings reach sub-adulthood and try to fly. Some of them fall and get injured as a result of this, and some of them have fallen due to the rain and winds," said Avachite, who has received calls from areas like Koregaon Park, Vishrantwadi, Dhanori, etc. in recent times. Aniket Kamble, a bird rescuer who operates near the Pune railway station area, said that he received a lot of rescue calls for chicks of the Indian grey hornbill. "I receive 15-16 calls a day from residents who have spotted injured birds. Many of the crow chicks that we rescued are also suffering from eye infections in this season. The nests are usually higher up on trees, so when they fall, there are injuries that need to be tended to," said Kamble. Pawan Sharma, who runs RAWW, an NGO based in Mumbai and MMR, said that they rescued more than 20 species of birds, including the painted stork and even flamingoes stuck in mangroves during this season. "When the season changes, setups change, and owing to unpredictable weather, many birds get displaced from their nests. This is also the season where the stronger hatchlings push the weaker ones out of the nest," he said.
Powys County Times
27-06-2025
- Health
- Powys County Times
Powys dad-of-three walks 92 miles for Alder Hey hospital
A FAMILY man from Powys who wanted to do 'something special' to raise awareness of his baby son's rare condition, walked nearly 100 miles across Wales last weekend – TWICE. The Rotary Across Wales Walk (RAWW) is a 46-mile trek from Machynlleth to Montgomery. But Gareth Evans, who lives on a hilltop on the route between Montgomery and Llandyssil, decided to do the walk twice, raising £10,000 for Alder Hey Children's Hospital in the process. 'I wanted to do something different,' said Gareth, 37, who started from the Montgomery finish line, to Machynlleth on Friday morning, before starting out the opposite way at 3am on Saturday. He finished his 92-mile trek in Montgomery just before 8pm. 'My legs feel pretty good actually,' said plumber Gareth on Wednesday. 'I'm absolutely amazed because I've done the walk seven times before, and afterwards I've been done for, for days.' Gareth took on the walk to raise awareness of his 11-month-old son Finley's condition and the work Alder Hey has done to help his family. Within just 24 hours of being born last July, Finley was rushed to Alder Hey. He was diagnosed with Hirschsprung's disease, a rare and life-threatening condition affecting the bowel in about one in 5,000 children. It occurs when the nerves in a part of the bowel don't develop properly, leading to complications with digestion. Finley faced several months of hospital visits, tests and, major surgery. Devastated Gareth and wife Lynsey hailed the incredible care at Alder Hey. 'We were heartbroken, but Alder Hey were absolutely amazing,' said Gareth. 'They gave our son a chance at life. 'This was not just a walk, it was a way to raise awareness for Hirschsprung's and show our gratitude to the hospital that gave our son back to us.' There were plenty of well-wishers on route, as well as 'good luck' messages and signs pinned to houses and hedges. Gareth descended back into Montgomery at around 7.40pm on Saturday, where he was greeted by Lynsey, Finley and the couple's other children, Archie and Lily. The 92 miles took just under 34 hours. 'I had some great conversations with people,' added Gareth. 'Without that it was quite hard going and dark. They got me through it. 'I met so many people on route. I would pass people and they'd ask 'Are you Gaz?'. I heard some whispering to each other 'That's the mad one'.' Two friends, Gareth 'Smiler' Richards and Will Toy, took on parts of the walk with him. The Evans family has been overwhelmed by the generosity of friends, family, and the community, and have raised nearly £10,000, with donations still pouring in. Gareth and Lynsey are also planning further fundraising activities, including a sponsored walk up Snowdon in August. 'Every penny raised will help families who find themselves in the same position we were in,' said Lynsey. Finley is happy and thriving, enjoying life to the fullest with his family. "We've been through so much, but seeing Finley smile and grow every day is all we need to keep pushing forward,' Lynsey added.
Powys County Times
25-06-2025
- Powys County Times
A Rotary Across Wales Walk to remember for Powys couple
THE Rotary Across Wales Walk is a memorable experience, but for one young Powys couple it will be a day they will never forget, after they got engaged on route. Robyn Brown was struggling on the gruelling 47-mile trek across Montgomeryshire, from Machynlleth to Montgomery – but she felt like she was walking on air after her boyfriend, now fiancé, Devon Scothern, popped the question during a stunning sunrise in the early hours of Saturday, June 21. The couple were halfway up the tough ascent to the Glaslyn nature reserve near Dylife, before the first checkpoint in Staylittle at 16 miles, when Devon got down on one knee – a time when Robyn was feeling 'at my worst'. 'My immediate reaction feels like a blur,' said Robyn, 22. 'I remember sitting down as I couldn't breathe. We agreed to make a stop as I wasn't sure I could make it up the steep hill. 'I sat on a rock and put my head in my hands, about to cry, and as I took my hands away from my head, he was there, down on one knee in front of me holding out a ring. 'I think it took me a while to process what he was actually doing as I was already going through so much emotion myself, but obviously I said yes straight away. 'I did not expect it at all, especially on the walk when I was literally at my worst.' The couple, from Newtown, met while working front of house at the Nags Head in Garthmyl as teenagers, getting together in 2021. 'I popped the question halfway up the first big summit, between Machynlleth and Staylittle,' said Devon, also 22. 'The sun hadn't long risen and the views were absolutely stunning. It was beautiful scenery. The sun rising was the icing on the cake. 'At the time, Robyn was worrying about not finishing the walk, and I felt this was the moment to do it. 'Amazing views and a morale boost to push us through to the end together.' Walkers gathered in Machynlleth in darkness, starting from 2am. Robyn said 'Yes' just after 6am, with the couple receiving heartwarming congratulations throughout the day, before crossing the finish line in Montgomery just before 10pm. 'When we eventually got to Aberhafesp (checkpoint 2), I showed one of our friends what he had done in the first part of the walk and this is when everyone found out that we had got engaged and it was posted on the Rotary Across Wales Walk (RAWW) Facebook page,' added Robyn. 'Before this, we both struggled a lot with the walk and had both said that we were going to give up. 'But we carried on and at every checkpoint there were always people cheering us on, congratulating us, and it pushed us just that little bit more to finish. 'We knew everyone knew about the engagement so I thought, 'well the engaged couple can't not finish it now'. 'Our friend who joined us at Staylittle motivated us a lot throughout too.' Devon added: 'Robyn really struggles with asthma and I was still recovering from a sprained ankle. That, along with a lack of training, meant it took us a while.' 'My parents and sister and her friend were waiting at the finish line for us,' added Robyn. 'My parents had taken us to Machynlleth at 2am, knowing full well what was happening that day, so they were quite tired and ended up going home before we had finished, because it ended up taking us so much longer than we had thought. 'But my sister and her friend were there at the end and me and Devon held hands as we crossed the finish line.' Devon, a production supervisor at Newtown chemical manufacturer Cambrian Solvents, said he planned the proposal at the event as he and Robyn, originally from Berriew and a carer at Affinity Homecare, walk and run together and were doing the event for the first time. 'We both love exercising together and I wanted to pop the question when we were both doing something we loved,' he said. Keeping his plan secret was almost as tough as the walk itself. 'Living in a small flat together made it nearly impossible to keep it a secret,' said Devon. 'Hiding the ring was a mission in itself and then trying to hide the ring during the walk was a challenge.'
