54% of 55,467 snakes rescued in and around Hyderabad are venomous

An analysis of 55,467 snakes rescued between 2013 and 2022 in Hyderabad showed that 54% of all rescued snakes belonged to venomous species. And, spectacled cobra (Naja naja, a venomous snake) and the Indian rat snake (Ptyas mucosa, a non-venomous snake), accounted for nearly 76% of all rescues. Out of 3,379 grids spread across the city and its peripheral areas within Outer Ring Road (ORR), 232 (6.90%) significant hotspots were identified, concentrated in rapidly urbanizing eastern corridors.

The observations are part of the research study titled ‘Urban snake ecology revealed through the lens of decadal data on snake rescues in a megacity’, published in Global Ecology and Conservation. It is authored by Avinash C. Visvanathan, and others from Friends of Snakes Society (FOS), Hyderabad, in collaboration with CSIR-CCMB LaCONES.