Overview

• Mahfooz Saifi killed an initial snake he spotted at dawn; by nightfall villagers had killed and buried 52 non-venomous snakes that emerged from beneath a ramp in his courtyard.
• Video footage of the mass emergence circulated on social media and prompted local residents to kill and bury the snakes without notifying wildlife officials.
• Divisional Forest Officer Rajesh Kumar confirmed the species are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, making their unauthorized killing a punishable offence.
• A Forest Department team arrived Monday to interrogate villagers and locate burial sites to verify the total number of snakes destroyed.
• Preliminary findings indicate the reptiles typically inhabit waterlogged areas, prompting authorities to appeal for public reporting of similar incidents and to refrain from harming protected wildlife.