Bhubaneswar: The reported death of an Indian Python in Chandaka Wildlife Division near here has sparked string resentment among wildlife activists, including Snake Helpline who have alleged that the snake was brutally killed in the presence of Forest officials.
According to sources, the 10 feet long python was spotted in the forest near Kainmuni village under Damapada Range of Chandaka Wildlife Division by local villagers and watchers of the Forest department on Friday. They tied the snake with a creeper and dragged it out of the forest. When the Forest officials arrived at the spot on being informed and were trying to keep the python inside a sack, they found it dead.
Taking a strong exception to the report on the incident in a section of the media, Subhendu Mallik, general secretary of Snake Helpline has stated that the videos of the incident, which had gone viral and was also telecast by local TV channels, clearly showed that the snake was ‘brutally captured and killed”.
Mallik said the python was spotted resting after taking its meal inside the sanctuary area. The videos show that the python was tied to ‘Siali’ (Bauhinia vahlii) creeper and a man standing on the body of the python. This action was likely to cause suffocation to the snake that resulted in its death.
“We have collected information from local sources that the postmortem of the dead python was not done by the local Forest officials which amount to a serious lapse on the part of the Range Officer, Damapada. The entire capturing (killing in this case) was done in presence of Damapada range staff,” Mallik said.
In a letter to Additional Director General of Police, Crime Branch; Additional Director, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB0 and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) & Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW), Odisha, Mallik has stated that Indian Python is a Schedule-I snake under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 which prescribes maximum punishment for killing it at par with tigers and elephants.
He has demanded appropriate action against those who ‘killed’ the python including Forest officials and also sought the arrest of the Range Officer, Damapada, if he is proved guilty in the incident.
