‘Swimming’ snakes
The Hindu
The forest department releases a list of snake-rescue volunteers particularly for this monsoon and residents seem to be making good use of the resource
Perception and reality are often ill-matched bedfellows. This misalignment can result in hilarious situations. Sometimes, disastrous outcomes. Rarely, it can lead to prompt and right action. Here is an illustration.
Residents may report snakes that “swim around” in the flood waters, placing a panic-stricken call to the forest department. In truth, these snakes would be “floating around helplessly” and not luxuriating in a swimming session, as perceived by the fear-struck. Except for those designed to thrive in the waters — a striking example in our parts being the checkered keelback (Fowlea piscator)— snakes mix as well with water as oil does.
Fearing for their own safety, a good number of residents from various parts of Chennai have been calling the forest department or the volunteers it has enlisted for snake rescues the past few days to rescue the reptiles they found in stagnant rain water in their backyard. This initiative seems particularly geared to the monsoon, when waterlogging may cause snakes to leave their moorings and float closer to human presence.