Mumbai : Development work in different areas of the city is leading to destruction of green cover areas for reptiles and other living creatures forcing them to move out of their habitat to nearby residential areas, say wild life experts. Their comment comes in the wake of Plant and Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) rescuing five snakes from Mulund and Bhandup in the past week.
The PAWS team rescued two venomous spectacled cobra snakes, two non-venomous rat snakes and one non-venomous common sand boa which were later released in the nearby natural habitat in the past two days.
Elaborating on the issue, Sunish Subramanian Kunju, secretary of PAWS, said: “We had got a call from the residents of Bhandup and Mulund stating that they have found snakes in their vicinity and then we rushed to rescue them. We rescued these snakes from nearby factories of Johnson and Johnson in Mulund (West) and Lake Road of Bhandup (West). We learnt that there was developmen work going on in these areas two weeks ago. While digging, these snakes come out of the ground and wander into nearby residential areas.”
He added that rapid development has destroyed the natural habitat of living creatures including birds. NGOs state that in such situations, it is crucial that we maintain a balance between human and animal life and not harm nature. They state that people should call an animal welfare organisation if they witness a reptile in their area and keep a watch on the movement of snake/reptile from a safe distance.
