20-foot-long python that swallowed a dog rescued from Palwal district

The python, suspected to be a female, was kept under observation to check if it had any injuries and was released in its natural habitat under the supervision of wildlife officials.

Updated on: Sep 7, 2018, 05:38:56 IST

Hindustan Times, Gurugram | By Leena Dhankhar, Gurugram

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A 20-foot-long python was rescued by Gurugram and Faridabad wildlife officials on Wednesday from Gorota village (Hodal) in Palwal, 102 kilometers from Gurugram city, after villagers reported seeing the reptile swallow a stray dog in the fields.

The python, suspected to be a female, was kept under observation to check if it had any injuries and was released in its natural habitat under the supervision of wildlife officials.

Around 1pm on Wednesday, the residents of Garota, heard a dog squealing in the fields. When they checked, they saw a python trying to swallow the canine. They tried to save the five-year-old stray dog, but could not.

The villagers called the police who contacted Vinod Kumar, the additional principal chief conservator of forests. Kumar directed the wildlife squad in Faridabad and Gurugram to rush to the spot. The rescue operation was led by wildlife enthusiast Anil Gandas, who led the rescue operation, and Faridabad wildlife guard Rajkumar.

“The villagers tried to pull the dog out, but the snake had swallowed it. The Indian Rock Python has a strong digestive system and it can swallow and digest an animal the size of a dog or a goat. This is the fifteenth rescue operation this month,” Kumar said.

The incident has left the villagers worried as children roam freely in the fields. “This is the first time we have witnessed such an incident. Our domestic animals are tied in the fields or outside our houses during the night. No, we are scared to even come in the fields as the size of python was huge. It can even swallow any one of us,” Ram Kumar, one of the villagers, said.

Gandas said that despite intense coordination with villagers, it took the team over half an hour to capture the reptile, which weighted about 20kg. “This is not the first time pythons have come out of the forest and preyed on animals in the field. They have killed three in the area this year,” he said.

Last month, 13 Indian Rock Pythons were rescued from Gurugram, besides 20 monitor lizards and 12 cobras.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leena Dhankhar
Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More