19-Ft Injured Python Rescued From Farmland in Odisha’s Kendrapada

Kendrapada: Forest officials have rescued an injured huge Indian rock python from a village near Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha’s Kendrapada district.

According to sources, the 19 feet long python was spotted in a farmland by residents of Rajendranarayanpur village near Bhitarkanika on Friday. The villagers informed forest department officials of Bhitarkanika National Park about the reptile. A team visited the site and rescued it successfully.

The python was put in a huge iron cage by forest staff and was shifted to Bhitarkanika premises. Since it had injury marks on its head, so it was provided treatment by veterinary doctors. The animal was fine and stable, forest department sources said on Saturday.

Once the reptile recovers fully, it would be set free in the Bhitarkanika National Park to resume its normal life in the wild, they added.

Sharing his experience, a resident of Rajendranarayanpur said, “We first noticed the python in a farm land. But since it had some injury marks on its head, it was hardly making any movements. We thought it might have strayed into our locality from the Bhitarkanika forests. Soon we informed the forest department staff in Bhitarkanika, who rescued the animal.”

Though crocodiles and other wild animals at times had ventured into nearby human habitats from Bhitarkanika National Park, but we don’t remember having spotted such a huge python in our area ever, said another villager.