Venomous Indian Spectacled Cobra rescued from kitchen in Mulund

The cobra that was spotted at a residence in Mulund. Picture courtesy/ NGO RAWW

A first floor residential flat in a housing society in Mulund had an unusual visitor. A long and venomous Indian Spectacled Cobra over 1.5 feet was rescued from the kitchen of the flat all thanks to the effort by NGO RAWW that has been rescuing birds, reptiles and wild animals in the eastern suburbs.

NGO RAWW received a call on their helpline number informing them that a snake was spotted in the kitchen of the house. Without wasting any time, the team members of RAWW rushed to the spot in order to rescue the snake.

Honorary Wildlife Warden of Thane and Founder of NGO RAWW, Pawan Sharma said, "I think I saw a snake sneaking into my kitchen..." reported the lady on our helpline. A 1.5-ft- Indian Cobra (Naja naja) was rescued from a flat on the first floor of a residential building in Mulund West on Thursday."

Sharma told mid-day that the family members residing in the house noticed the snake entering through the door and heading towards the kitchen area and immediately reported the same to the helpline of the NGO.

RAWW rescue team members Hasmukh Valanju, Joaquim Naik reached the spot and found the snake hiding between the steel boxes in the lower shelf of the kitchen.

"But why did it go towards the kitchen? Why did it enter our house? Why did this happen?" were some of the questions asked by the residents. After its safe rescue, our team member answered all the questions asked by the family. When a snake is confronted by a human, its first instinct is to escape. They bite only when they feel threatened. Proximity to green space like a jungle, open sewage/ drains, unclean areas etc are some of the possible reasons for the encounter with snakes," added Sharma.

The NGO also explained to the residents about do's and dont's when a snake is spotted in their neighbourhood.

• Keep an eye on the location of the snake while maintaining a safe distance. Do not try to go near the snake.
• Call up the police control room/ Maharashtra Forest department's 24/7 helpline number 1926/fire brigade or any local NGO/rescuer working for wildlife.
• While keeping an eye on the snake, don't go near it and don't do any activity like poking/throwing things at it. Such instigation can prove fatal. So wait for help.
• While you wait, don't run around in panic and don't go near the snake to take pictures etc.
• Don't examine. Let the officials, trained rescuers or experts do their job. It is not easy to identify and differentiate the venomous and non-venomous snake.

Take precautionary measures:

• Trim the grass/lawn in your area.
• Maintain cleanliness as most of the time snakes end up entering houses while chasing rodents especially rats. Do not let trash collect on the premises as it is an ideal space for a snake to hide.
• Always check for open sewage/ drains around and report it to the local authorities to seal/cover the same.

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