GHSPCA Rescues More Than 4,000 Snakes Ahead of Nag Panchami Festival

The Greater Hyderabad Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, in a bid to to save and treat snakes harmed during the Nag Panchami festival, especially by snake charmers, has launched their rescue operation, the organisation said.

Hyderabad: The GHSPCA (Greater Hyderabad Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) said it has rescued 4,746 snakes and released them into the wild. This move comes as an attempt to to rescue and treat snakes harmed during the Nag Panchami festival, which falls on Friday, August 9.

The society has already started their rescue operation and has asked people to be aware about snake charmers. If found, they have urged the public to inform them on 8886743881, 9394578568 and 9490149601. The notice also mentioned that all actions that cause harm to snakes are illegal under the Wildlife Protection Act and carry strict penalties.

Organisations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh will conduct raids to rescue snakes on Naga Panchami. Soudharm Bhandari, GHSPCA Coordinator, said: “Since 2005, we have rescued 4,746 snakes during the festival.

Many snakes, primarily cobras, are captured by snake charmers months in advance, subjected to cruelty, and offered milk, which is not part of their natural diet. This often results in the death of the snakes.”

Speaking about the condition of snakes in the state, he shed light on the number of snake rescues that has significantly decreased, from over 200 to just 10 in 2023. Rescue operations commenced on July 30, with one snake already rescued.

In a joint operation with the People for Animals (PFA), the GHSPCA rescued a cobra from snake charmers in Shalibanda on July 31. “We received a call from a resident in Shalibanda informing us that a female snake charmer was visiting houses in the area for the rituals.

We immediately reached the spot and rescue the cobra from her. She fled from the spot but after an hour, she was caught. We found out that she was from Ibrahimpatnam. We have planned to start locating snake charmers and rescue snakes from August 1,” Bhandari added. The GHSPCA announced that it would continue operations until the festival ends.