• Brendan Dabhi
• 07-12-2021 06:00 AM

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Animal Life Care NGO rescued the reptile on Monday

Workers at marriage decoration godown in Vasna were saved by unique sound let out by the snake they were trying to catch thinking it was a python

In what could have easily been a mind-numbing tragedy, workers at a marriage decoration godown in Vasna almost got bitten trying to catch hold of a large snake they assumed was a non-poisonous reticulated python. Turns out, it was the most poisonous snake in Asia —  the Russell’s viper.
Due to the sheer length and girth of the snake, workers at the godown thought it was a young python initially and tried to capture it on their own, since it is common knowledge python doesn’t have venom glands.
However, when they tried moving some of the furniture to catch the reptile, it slithered further inside and gave off a shrill whistle, which scared the workers and made them doubt the snake’s identity.
Notably, only two well-known snakes make distinctive sounds to ward off danger, the Russell’s viper through its nostrils and the rattlesnake through its tail.
Around 11.30 am, the workers called for help from Animal Life Care NGO and Vijay Dabhi, the NGO head, asked them to send a photo of the innocent intruder.
He immediately recognised the snake as a venomous one and asked the workers to stay at a safe distance and keep an eye on it. Dabhi reached the warehouse with his team and searched for the snake, which had by then, hidden in a bag. It was found only after a one-and-a-half-hour search, put in a box and released into the woods near Vasna barrage.
Dabhi said, “People often mistake the Russell’s viper for a python because of its length and girth. The snake we rescued today was also 3.5 feet in length and very heavy, which is why the workers mistook it for the non-poisonous python.”

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Source: https://ahmedabadmirror.com/tragedy-averted/81813406.html