GREEN MINUTE NEWS:
A rare snake – the Red Sand Boa was rescued in Bengaluru on Thursday afternoon. With their double-headed appearance, this near threatened species attracts a lot of attention and are illegally traded for its medicinal, cosmetic values and black magic practices.
Some autorickshaw drivers called the BBMP after sighting this rare snake near the parcel section of Bengaluru railway station, Majestic area. Usually, this snake is not found in urban habitats and are usually found in dry, sandy areas, and rocky terrain with loose soil in Peninsular India.
RESCUED & RELEASED
People usually mistake the red sand boa snake having two heads as its tail too is shaped like a head, said Prasanna Kumar, District Animal Welfare Warden, BBMP who rescued the snake in a crowded and concrete habitat.
He added, “It has a thick tail with rounded tip and often referred to as a two-headed snake. The red sand boa has been released in a suitable habitat where it can live and thrive. These snakes are not found in the city habitat. Maybe, somebody had illegally brought it to sell it in Bengaluru.”
HIGHEST SMUGGLED SPECIES
Red Sand boas are non-venomous and this was an adult, red-brownish coloured snake, about two and a half feet long, Prasanna Kumar informed. This is one of the highest smuggled snakes in the world as a huge demand has been created due to superstitious beliefs, myths, black magic and usage in cosmetics and traditional medicines.
Gujarat leads the country in smuggling of Red Sand Boas as it fetches a huge price ranging from a few lakhs to crores in international and domestic markets.
DWINDLING POPULATION
Activists expressed their serious concern on the continuing trading in red sand boas in the country and say its population has been decreasing with the disappearance of its habitat. This is a protected species (schedule-IV) under the Wildlife Protection Act. It is also listed under Appendix-II of CITES.
In case anybody sees this rare snake in Bengaluru, they can call up this number: 99027 94711 (Prasanna Kumar).