Yuvaraj Manohar Bobade, a snake enthusiast who has also been rescuing snakes for the last few years, stays at Sakoli tehsil (Bhandara district of Maharashtra state). Yuvaraj caught a huge Indian Rock Python Python molurus (Linnaeus, 1758) on Tuesday, the 30th January 2024. I got a call from Mr. Chaitram Kisan Tekam who resides in the Pitezari village. Chaitram told me that he spotted a huge Python (known as ‘Aajgar’ in Marathi) in a rice field in the vicinity of the village. I called upon Yuvaraj immediately and informed him about the snake. Yuvaraj along with his friend Saurabh Gopal Raut visited the site and caught the snake at 1.17 p.m. It turned out to be an eight feet long Indian Rock Python female weighing about 12 kg. The beautiful snake was released in its natural habitat soon after it was caught. Yuvaraj also managed to catch and rescue a rather rare Olive Keelback Atretium schistosum (Daudin, 1803). The snake was found in the heart of Sakoli, a small city along the Mumbai-Calcutta national highway. Yuvaraj added that he generally catches and rescues about 3 to 4 Olive Keelbacks (known as ‘Shevali Pandivad’ or ‘Tasya’ in Marathi) in a calendar year. This non-poisonous snake feeds on tadpoles, frogs and fish. The young Keelbacks feed on mosquito larvae.

Change is not always easy to bring about. We are striving to bring about positive change in the mindset of the local people. Perseverance and nonstop communication is the key. Nisarga-Vedh, a registered charity plans to conduct scientific training program for the young snake rescuers and educators in Bhandara and Gondia districts.