Lush green lawns and good population of toads makes IUCAA a good home for a variety of snakes. On an average we catch 6-7 snakes (except rat snake which are quite numerous) per year and half of them are poisonous. Till date there has been no accident involved and our relations with them have been very cordial. Whenever these messengers of the Hindu god Shiva (the annihilator) venture in the territory of obsessed mortals, we try to catch them clean and release them in nearby jungles. I was trained to catch snakes by my senior colleague Yogesh Wadadekar. If someone wants to share this adventure, he is most welcomed, but remember it is a round the clock very dangerous job and risk of one's life is always involved. In early days of IUCAA, Ramana Athreya of NCRA was an expert in catching snakes. The following table is a compilation of various catchings and sightings of different snakes (except Rat Snake) in IUCAA by Yogesh [Y], Niranjan [N], myself [P], Sanjit [S] and the Snake Park [SP], from winter of 1999 onwards. At present Sanjit Mitra and Arman Shafieloo are getting trained to catch snakes. In case of emergency or any sighting, contact me at extension 218 or IUCAA reception without any delay.
Click here for page on Snakes in and around IUCAA, for some of their characteristics and photos.
Volunteer(s) required to catch snakes. If you are gutsy, can see in eyes of an open hooded cobra and believe in ``Death is a dream as life is'', contact me to give this service to our institute. Your duties would include:
| Date | Time of the Day | Common Name | Remarks [caught by] | Place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep, 14th, 2003 | ~ 1300 | Cobra | 5 ft [P] (sighted) | Behind student pantry and Takshashila 1 | |
| Apr, 16th, 2003 | ~ 1000 | Cobra | 4 ft [R. Mhatrey] | Substation | |
| Apr, 3rd, 2003 | ~ 0100 | Green Keelback | 3 ft [P] | Bathroom of Nalanda 105-106 | |
| Jan, 13th, 2003 | ~ 1130 | Green Keelback | 2.5 ft [R. Mhatrey] | Sub Station | |
| Dec, 1st, 2002 | ~ 2030 | Green Keelback | 2 ft [S] | Nalanda Hostel (C Wing) | |
| Oct, 20th, 2002 | ~ 1530 | Cobra | 5 ft, ferocious [P & Ramu ] | Near Director's Bungalow | |
| Sep, 15th, 2002 | ~ 0645 | Green Keelback | Had eaten something, immobile. [P] (sighted) | Akashganga Security Gate | |
| Aug, 20th, 2002 | ~ 1215 | Krait | 50 cm [P], Greenish Black, See[**] below | Nalanda, 122-123 Verandah (my room) | |
| Aug, 20th, 2002 | ~ 0815 | Krait | 50 cm [P], Greenish Black, See[**] below | Nalanda, 122-123 Verandah (my room) | |
| July 30th, 2002 | ~ 0945 | Trinket | 1.25 ft [Canteen boys] | Canteen Parking | |
| June 6th, 2002 | ~ 1715 | Cobra | 3.5 ft, Extremely ferocious [N & P] | Nalanda (room 126) | |
| Mid April 2002 | ~ 1000 | Russels Viper | Atleast 2 ft., ferocious [*] | Ajit Kembhavi's house | |
| June 25th, 2001 | ~ 1100 | Cobra | Atleast 5 ft., very ferocious [SP] | Science Park | |
| June 10th, 2001 | ~ 2030 | Blind Snake | Choclate brown, 7 cm [P] | Bhaskara III | |
| June 9th, 2001 | ~ 0900 | Green Keelback | Same one as on June 7th, abdomen still full [P] (sighted) | Remained at same place as before, then disappeared before ~ 1800 June 9th | |
| June 7th, 2001 | ~ 0930 | Green Keelback | Had eaten a rat [Y] (sighted) | In grass, left of Newton | |
| Mid April, 2001 | ~ 0700 | Green Keelback | approx 3 ft. [P] (sighted) | Stones in Kund, left of Galileo | |
| End of March, 2001 | ~ 1130 | Cobra | approx 4 ft.[N] | Behind Gym, in the drain | |
| October 23rd, 2000 | ~ 1930 | Trinket | 110 cm [Y] | Nalanda | |
| September 14th, 2000 | ~ 1400 | Binocellate Cobra | very calm, 90 cm, greenish brown[P] | IUCAA main gate | |
| September 10th, 2000 | ~ 2030 | Banded Kukri | First time in IUCAA, 50 cm[Y] | Akashganga | |
| August 30th, 2000 | ~ 1900 | Green Keelback | 15 cm [Y] | Akashganga | |
| August 23rd, 2000 | ~ 1930 | Green Keelback | 15 cm [Y] | Akashganga | |
| August 14th, 2000 | ~ 1900 | Green Keelback | 30 cm [Y] | Akashganga | |
| August 1st, 2000 | ~ 2015 | Green Keelback | 90 cm [Y] | Akashganga | |
| April 21st, 2000 | ~ 2340 | Krait | 50 cm[P] | Nalanda (B wing) | |
| April 3rd, 2000 | ~ 1000 | Cobra | Very aggresive, very difficult catch, 5 ft., 3 Kg.[Y & P] | University Flats | |
| December, 1999 | ~ 2230 | Russels Viper | The pressure cooker noise, approx 3.5 ft.[P] | Nalanda (B wing) |
[**] : It was a great day. When I woke up and opened my back door to have a bath the earlier of them was sitting next to the door. The markings, scale pattern and specially those on the head were identical to Fig. 133 for Bungarus caeruleus (Common Indian Krait) of "Fauna of British India (III)" by Smith. The other was caught at the same location later. He was very active and was "sensing" his partner. I think the first one came to verandah late in night by creeping on the bushes behind and was unable to go back. The partner in search followed the track. I released the pair 12 Kms away from IUCAA in a jungle.
[*] : When I reached Ajit's house a guy from power supply section was holding
this viper from his head !