Six feet python survives after surgery in Veterinary college in Tirunelveli

A six-foot python successfully recovers post-surgery at Tirunelveli's Veterinary College after being injured by a fishing net.

In a rare case, veterinarians at the Veterinary College and Research Institute (VCRI) in Tirunelveli on Thursday (April 9, 2026) surgically treated on a four-year-old python that had suffered a severe lacerated wound after being strangulated by a fishing net.

The six-foot-long snake, weighing around 4 kg, was brought for treatment by Moolakal forest ranger Balasubramanian with the assistance of the Karu Animal Rescue Unit Trust, Veeravanallur.

“The local people who spotted the snake mistook it for a viper and alerted the Forest Department. The officials rescued it and presented it for treatment to Dr. Manoharan, a veterinarian in the department. He referred the reptile to us as it required surgery under anaesthesia,” said S. C. Edwin, Dean of the VCRI.

The snake was in a critical condition, with extensive injuries caused by the tightly wound fishing net. In several places, the skin had peeled off. “The net had encircled the snake about one foot below the head. On clinical examination, a lacerated wound was observed about 5 cm cranial to the strangulation site,” Dr. Edwin explained.

The surgery was performed by M. Shiju Simon, Associate Professor and Head, along with N. Krishnaveni, Assistant Professor. The snake was anaesthetised and the constricting net carefully removed.

Veterinarians said the wound was thoroughly flushed to eliminate contaminants and debrided. The muscle and skin layers were sutured using synthetic absorbable material and dressed with antiseptics. The python was also administered oral rehydration solution, antibiotics and vitamins through a feeding tube.