When a scooter turned shelter for slithering

People living close to a derelict patch of land, that had been converted into a makeshift dumping ground near this zone, were surprised to find snakes of the non-venomous kind, seeking refuge under the chassis of cars and even the dashboards of a moped.

Saravanan, an auto mechanic, working at a shed on 7th Cross Street tells us, “I was surprised to see one a few of our neighbours crowded around a Scooty parked outside our shed. When I looked closer, I found the head of a tiny snake sticking out of the dashboard of the vehicle. As I am used to finding such reptiles at home in my village, I went ahead and dismantled the front lamp guard of the vehicle and gently attempted to nudge the snake from its perch, using a screwdriver.”

Sure enough, with a few gentle tugs, the snake reared its head far out, enough to help Saravanan latch onto it, using a piece of cleaning rag. With the tough part out of the way, he was assisted by a few onlookers in pushing the snake out of the metal casing that had trapped the reptile. With one final push, the snake was released from the dashboard, and Saravanan took the reptile, which the onlookers presumed to be a water snake, to the nearby inundated patch of wasteland, and released it there.

However, that was just one of the stories. Three streets down, yet another snake had been found seeking refuge in the warm corners of an apartment complex’s garage. Sivaraman, a resident here told us, “We had to call in the Forest Ranger to help us find and relocate that snake.” For snake-related rescues, the Forest Range Office can be contacted at 044-22200335, 9444358969.