5-ft long rat snake rescued from NCERT campus in Delhi: Wildlife SOS

A five-foot-long rat snake was rescued from the campus of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) here, a wildlife conservation NGO said Wednesday.

The Indian Rat Snake, commonly known as 'Dhaman', is a non-venomous species which is harmless for humans, but are often misidentified as cobras due to their resemblance to the highly venomous snakes.

The snake is currently under observation and once deemed fit, it will be released back into its natural habitat, the Wildlife SOS said.

The NGO said a two-member team was dispatched to carry out the rescue operation Tuesday afternoon after they were informed that a snake was spotted on a tree inside the NCERT campus.

The team carefully moved the snake from the tree to a safe transport carrier, it said.

"Very few snake species in Delhi are actually venomous and even these snakes will not attack until provoked or threatened. However, due to their resemblance to cobras, rat snakes are often misidentified as the highly venomous snakes and are met with hostility and fear," said Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO, Wildlife SOS.

In another case, a four-foot-long cobra was rescued from the campus of Air Force Central Accounts Office in Subroto Park, the Wildlife SOS said.

The snake is currently under observation and will be returned to its natural habitat, once deemed fit for release, the NGO said.