Rare snake rescued in Delhi

New Delhi April 27 (IANS) A banded Khukri snake now a rare and uncommon species in the Delhi area was rescued here on Thursday.

Animal welfare organisation Wildlife SOS that rescued the snake from the campus of the Jamia Millia Islamia in south Delhi said that the reptile is currently being kept under observation and will soon be released back into its natural habitat.

The non-venomous snake stands out by the stunning skin colour and teeth shaped like the khukris the traditional weapon of Gurkha warriors.

According to Faiyaz A. Khudsar scientist in-charge of the Yamuna Biodiversity Park the species once common on the area are now rare due to climate change and loss of habitat.

The Khukri snake uses its sharp curved teeth for slicing reptile eggs. This particular species preys on insects larvae reptile eggs small rodents and skinks said Geeta Seshamani co-founder of Wildlife SOS.

According to the Wildlife SOS which gets snake alerts on daily basis the previous khukri snake was rescued an year ago.

--IANS
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