Nagpur: In back-to-back rescues over the past 48 hours, volunteers from the Help for Animal Welfare Association saved two rare snake species from South Nagpur, highlighting the growing issue of reptiles straying into residential areas due to shrinking natural habitats.
On Friday, a Slender Coral snake, regarded as the smallest venomous snake in India, was spotted inside a house at Beltarodi. The house owner, Sangram Mohite, immediately alerted the NGO. Snake rescuers Aniket Kherkar and Nilesh Ramteke swiftly reached the spot and safely captured the reptile.
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18 Aug 2025
The Slender Coral is a nocturnal forest-dwelling species, usually found in moist soil and leaf litter. Though rare in sightings, it is distributed widely across India, excluding Central and North-Western regions. It falls under Schedule-IV of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
A day earlier, on Thursday, another team rescued a Green Keelback, a non-venomous snake, from Pipla Fata. The reptile was seen near a hardware shop owned by local resident Vikas Wagh, who immediately called snake rescuers Vikrant Kawle and Aniket Surushe. The Green Keelback is protected under Schedule-II of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Experts point out that rapid urbanisation and concretisation in Nagpur are steadily destroying natural habitats, forcing snakes into human settlements. Snake sightings have been on the rise in localities like Narsala, Wathoda, Kharbi, and Besa, raising concerns about human-wildlife conflicts.
