Goa-based wedding planners and wildlife rescuers Benhail and Louise plan elaborate parties and relocate stranded reptiles, all in a day’s work
The Hindu
Catch wedding planners and wildlife rescuers Benhail Antao and Louise Remedios as they plan elaborate parties and relocate stranded reptiles, all in a day’s work
A school in Goa recently had an unexpected student: a feisty, 11-feet long crocodile. It strayed from the river during the rains and stationed itself outside a classroom window. The staff quickly called Goa’s Steve Irwin — Benhail Antao, and Louise Remedios, a couple that is wedding planners by profession and wildlife rescuers by passion. So, it is hardly a surprise that date nights for them involve carrying reptiles to safety rather than clinking flutes of Champagneunder star lit cabanas.
“It’s a crazy life we lead,” laughs Louise over a call from Goa. “On our anniversary we got a call to rescue a monitor lizard. It was injured. We took it to the vet, dressed the wound and made sure it healed,” she adds. The couple’s bizarre wildlife adventures are now captured in Snakes SOS: Goa’s Wildest, a 10-part series by National Geographic. The show also documents the reptile population, techniques used and the contributions made by Louise and Benhail. Together, they have so far rescued leopards, gaur, porcupine and bats among other creatures.