Highly venomous common krait rescued from boxing academy hostel in Gurugram

The male snake, weighing one kilogram, was spotted entering one of the rooms on the ground floor of the academy built on a 1,200 square yard plot

A three-foot-long common krait, a highly venomous snake native to the Aravallis, was rescued by a wildlife team from a sports academy hostel in Sector 58 on Monday.

Wildlife experts found the snake hidden inside a student’s suitcase that was kept on the floor. The snake was kept under observation for three hours before being released into the Aravallis, under the supervision of the wildlife department. (HT Photo)

Officials said the male snake, weighing around one kilogram, was spotted entering one of the rooms on the ground floor of the academy built on a 1,200 square yard plot.

Karam Chand, advocate practising in Gurugram courts and a resident of Sector 55, who owns the hostel, said he received a call around 12.30am on Monday from one of the students. “One of the badminton players who was returning from the washroom spotted the snake in their sleeping area. He switched on all the lights in the room and asked everyone to go out. They ran outside and called me,” he said.

Chand said he locked the door from outside and asked the students to sleep in another room. “I informed the wildlife officials in the morning. They opened the room and found it hidden inside a student’s suitcase that was kept on the floor,” he said.

Anil Gandas, a wildlife expert who led the rescue operation, said he received a call from around 9.30am on Monday and he reached within half an hour. “A 18-year-old badminton player had spotted the snake. When I entered the room, it was not to be seen anywhere. We removed all the stuff one by one and inspected all clothes but could not find the snake. Then, I opened a suitcase and found it,” he said.

This is the 18th snake to be rescued this month from residential areas of Gurugram. Snake sightings in residences become common over the past few years, according to the district wildlife department. In the past 10 years, there have been 1,042 snake rescues from houses, on average, every year.

The snake was kept under observation for three hours before being released into the Aravallis, under the supervision of the wildlife department.

According to wildlife experts, 20 species of snakes are native to the Aravallis and four of them -- the monocled cobra, spectacled cobra, black cobra and the common krait -- are highly venomous.