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Wildbuzz | The ‘miracle’ snake
A boa is marketed deceitfully by criminals as a “double engine” or “Do Mohiya saap”, whereas fact is that the tail of the snake resembles the head as an evolutionary ploy to evade predator attacks to its head, diverting them successfully to the tail.
A specimen of a rare but infamous species, the red sand boa, was rescued after it slithered under the main gate of the Sector 19 Chandigarh bungalow of retired Punjab and Haryana high court justice Amar Dutt on Thursday. Residents were left confused at the surfacing of this species amid a bustling humanity.
However, snakes are known to survive in dense urban habitation having evaded detection for years, such as a Russell’s viper rescued from a Sector 18 bungalow. The plausible explanation for the non-venomous boa’s presence in Sector 19 is that the serpent was disturbed from its hibernation spot or regular habitat within the residential areas by human activity or a dog or cat. Close to justice Dutt’s bungalow, a couple of plots are under house reconstruction and subject to extensive digging. The boa could have been disturbed from its burrow in those plots, got disoriented and wandered into an adjacent bungalow. Or, transported inadvertently to Sector 19 with a heap of construction material, such as sand.
The other factor, which cannot be ruled out entirely, is that the boa was kept in illegal captivity in the neighbourhood or elsewhere and released surreptitiously by the jittery owner who either could not handle it, feared the long arm of the law or felt the boa had not fetched the promised returns. Boas are victims of New Age superstitions that drive criminals to extract them from the wilderness or even from zoos: four were stolen from Chhatbir in July 2013.
A boa is marketed deceitfully by criminals as a “double engine” or “Do Mohiya saap”, whereas fact is that the tail of the snake resembles the head as an evolutionary ploy to evade predator attacks to its head, diverting them successfully to the tail. Unfounded lures associated with possession of boas range from their bodies yielding iridium deposits to the Gods showering untold wealth on devotees to that unfailing con trick: the miracle of sexual resurrection.
Since gullible buyers entertain the foggiest notions about serpents and are devoid of rational thought, they dish out hefty sums. Ultimately, the buyer is swindled and left with unrealised promises, the boa dies in captive agony or is released quietly, and the faith trickster who sold the boa shows a clean pair of heels. Were boas so productive as supposed conduits to the divine powers, the trickster would well have kept the “do mohiya” for himself, pocketed the promised millions and enjoyed a slew of side-benefits!
Fibble’s sweet nibbles
How come the offspring of a Greater coucal was named ‘Fibble’, allowed suzerainty to relieve himself or herself over the sofas of a tastefully-appointed Kansal Enclave bungalow and command the absolute attention, affection and devotion of a set of foster grandparents and two maids? Well, the waif’s destiny was a benign one.
Fibble was a chick three months back, who for some jittery reason jumped out of its nest and wandered to the door of the affable, ‘zinda dil’ couple, Robin and Amrita Nakai. The couple nurture a deep empathy for living creatures, so, before a cat, dog or snake could get the chick bawling for its parents, the Nakais had embraced the lost soul.
“We tried very hard to locate the nest to put it back but the coucal parents had hidden it effectively in dense bamboo and scrub. Neither did the suspected parents show any interest when we put out the chick in their presence. So, we kind of adopted the chick. It relished kibble dog food, so we named it ‘fibble’. The coucal has virtually become like a dog, following us around and waiting at the dining table for a scrap of food, such as egg or fruits. But Fibble has health issues such as fungal disease and a stunted development of flight wings. We are consulting wildlife veterinarians, administering vitamin supplements and want to return it to the wilderness in good health,” Amrita told this writer.
Fibble is a wise ‘grandchild’, very attached to Amrita and obedient to her commands. “With our little granddaughter, Vera, Fibble will never peck her hard but ever so gently nibble at Vera’s fingers in affection and bonding,” she added.
vjswild1@gmail.com
