Python rescued from car engine in Delhi’s Chattarpur

The owner who left his car overnight in the parking lot was surprised to find an Indian Rock Python curled inside the car’s bonnet.

A five-foot-long python was rescued from the engine of a car in south Delhi’s Chhattarpur on Sunday evening.

On Sunday, a Delhi resident was surprised to see an Indian Rock Python curled up next to his car’s engine. In this file picture, a 9 foot and a 7 foot two Indian Rock Python rescued from Mumbai can be seen. (Pramod Thakur/HT Photo)

The snake, an Indian Rock Python, was trapped in the narrow space between the engine and the dashboard frames, said members of Wildlife SOS, the NGO which rescued the reptile.

The snake crawled on to the dashboard after the owner parked it near his house on Saturday.

The rescue operation lasted for over 90 minutes, as the team had to open the dashboard frames in order to safely extricate the reptile, the NGO said in a statement.

Avnish Sharma, the owner of the car who had dialled the NGO after spotting the snake, said, “Since, it was raining heavily on Saturday, I decided to leave my car in the parking premises. Next day, my car suddenly broke down, and when I opened the bonnet, I was shocked to find the massive snake stuck in it.”

Wasim Akram, Deputy Director, Special Projects,Wildlife SOS, said, the Indian Rock Python (Python molurus) is often mistaken to be dangerous because of its size and face extreme threat due to ignorance among public.

“Not many people are aware that pythons are non-venomous, and they are often get killed when they venture into human surroundings,” he added.

Around 30 species of snakes have been rescued from Delhi out of which only four are venomous - Spectacle Cobra, Common Krait, Saw Scale Viper and Russell’s Viper.

Among the snakes that have been rescued, the maximum are Spectacled Cobra, Common Krait, Python, Indian Rat Snake, Common Sand Boa, Wolf Snake and Black Headed Royal Snake among others.