THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, Nov 12: It’s not only the jungles of the Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) that are homes for a variety of snakes. Snakes are everywhere. Medininagar Forest Division is no exception.
It’s for the safety of lives, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Medininagar Forest Division, Satyam Kumar, asks people not to venture into the jungles unnecessarily and if in the jungles, be careful and watchful, he advises.
In an ambush, a python grabbed a fawn of cheetal, which died instantly in Palamu district quite recently.
This incident occurred in the protected forest of Murma under the Untari sub beat of the Mohammadganj range of the Medininagar Forest Division in Palamu late Monday, November 10.
Python Kills and Later Ejects Its Prey
Forest guard Akhilesh Kumar Das on being contacted said, “The around 10 feet long Indian rock python ambushed a fawn of cheetal.”
The python first constricted its prey and then coiled and squeezed it with intense pressure, which led to the instant death of this fawn.
The occurrence could have gone unnoticed had some cattle grazers not spotted the python. The cattle grazers informed the villagers, who then alerted the forest personnel.
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Asked if the python swallowed the fawn or ejected it, Das said, ” There was a huge crowd of onlookers making terrible noises. Noises upset python most. It vomited the fawn and tried to slither down further away from the crowd.”
DFO Satyam Kumar said, “Jungles are jungles. Here, one can encounter anything. Python is known for its silent ambush.”
Python first attempts to immobilise its prey. Once the prey is immobilised, the job of the python is easier.
Changing Public Attitude Toward Snakes
Mob reaction to snakes, deadly or non-poisonous, has undergone a big change in the past decade or so.
Earlier mobs of people used to kill snakes with vengeance. Stoning a snake to death was the most common practice of the mob.
These days, mob spares snakes and refrain from stoning. If a snake is found slithering on the metallic road, then the bikers and motorists stop and ensure the snake goes down to the jungles. None wants to crush such a snake beneath the tyre.
Forest personnel are waited for rescue or the safety of the snakes if snakes are spotted in a house or shop or godown. About three years ago, one five feet long cobra fell into a river in Chainpur. It was rescued safely.
An injured snake, even if it manages to survive mob fury, doesn’t live long as ants and maggots fill the wound pockets of the snake, rendering it to die a slow death.
