Mumbai’s snake rescuers are passionate individuals, for whom the reptile’s safe return to the wild is what matters the most. On World Snake Day, we look at how despite several risks and little to no compensation involved, they offer the service in addition to their day jobs
Pawan Sharma rescuing a Rat snake in Mumbai (left); Aman Singh rescuing a Russell's Viper in a tribal area in Mulund (right). Image courtesy: Sharma and Singh
Aman Singh was 14 when he was captivated by the adventurous rescues performed by wildlife experts on the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet. Residing in Thane’s Lokmanya Nagar, which is in close to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park area, regular encounters with snakes during his teenage years further fostered his interest in wildlife and their behaviour. After multiple attempts at rescuing snakes and feeding the injured ones at home as an amateur, he decided to get trained and became a professional wildlife rescuer at just 18 years of age.