Foresters rescue 461 snakes from 3 districts

CHENNAI: The Forest Department officials rescued a seven-feet long rat snake from a house at Madipakkam on Sunday. The department said it has rescued 461 snakes in three districts — Chennai, Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur over a period of five months.Officials received a call from Rajendran of Madipakkam where they found the snake curled up under the staircase of his house and brought it to their rescue centre at Velachery. “Rat snakes are non-poisonous, so it is not very difficult to catch them unlike others for which we use equipment. We can catch rat snakes even with our hands,” said S Davidraj, Forest Range Officer. These snakes are so named because they mainly feed on rats and live in rat holes.Rat snakes grow up to 2.5 metres in length and vary from pale yellow and brown to gray or black in colour. These species are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act. Officials said the snake could have been in Madipakkam as the locality has a lake in which frogs and rats live in abundance. All rescued snakes are released in thick forest about 200 kilometres from the city.