13 Checkered Keelback snakelets rescued from Virar house

Mumbai: As many as 13 Checkered Keelback snakelets (called Dhivad in Marathi) were released in a marshy mangrove in Virar on Friday evening after they were found at a Phoolpada home in Virar on Friday

Mumbai: As many as 13 Checkered Keelback snakelets (called Dhivad in Marathi) were released in a marshy mangrove in Virar on Friday evening after they were found at a Phoolpada home in Virar on Friday.

13 Checkered Keelback snakelets rescued from Virar house

House owner Rakesh Tiwari spotted the snakelets in his bedroom, wardrobe, washroom, and in the indoor overhead water tank early on Friday.

The Checkered Keelback is a non-venomous yet aggressive snake and thrives on frogs, rodents, and fish, informed Pankaj Jadhav, a wildlife biologist who rescued the snakelets.

Jadhav heads the Members of Spreading Awareness on Reptiles and Rehabilitation Programme (SARRP) in Palghar.

After spotting the 13 Checkered Keelback snakelets at his home, Tiwari panicked and contacted Pankaj Jadhav who along with his team rushed to the site and later, rescued and released the snakes in their habitat.

The snakes are common throughout India and are found near freshwater bodies like ponds, rivers, lakes and paddy fields and are known to flourish around urban areas with close by water bodies.

“Checkered Keelback lays around 25 eggs and is hatched within 2 months and we are sure, a few more baby snakes may still be lurking around the house and we will rescue them as soon as they are spotted,’’ informed Jadhav.