Gurgaon: A man was arrested after eight snakes were rescued from a house in Faridabad following a tip-off about their alleged illegal possession and use for public display and begging.A forest offence report was registered against Bansi Nath Sapera under sections 9, 39 and 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 on Monday. “The accused was sent to 14-day judicial custody on Monday,” wildlife DFO RK Jhangra told TOI.A forest department team, accompanied by police personnel, raided the premises in Tilpat village on Monday and recovered seven Indian spectacled cobras (Naja naja) and one rat snake (Ptyas mucosa). The information had been received through social media and was shared with the forest department.Capturing, possessing or displaying protected wild animals without legal authorisation is prohibited under the Wildlife (Protection) Act.Snake charmers have also historically been associated with practices intended to prevent snakes from biting, including damaging or removing teeth and interfering with venom apparatus.There is no confirmation from the forest department that any of the eight snakes rescued in this case had undergone such procedures.Wildlife rescuer and environmentalist Sahil Sharma, who was part of the raid, told TOI, “Snakes are wild animals and capturing them from the wild and keeping them for display or begging is illegal. They suffer immensely when kept in such conditions. We need to ensure that such wildlife is not exploited in the name of religion or tradition.”The operation came amid a series of wildlife crime cases in which information supplied through social media was acted upon by enforcement agencies. According to Sharma, similar cases were registered in Lucknow, Karnal and Jaipur earlier in the week across Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan.Using snakes for performances, public display or begging can expose them to prolonged stress, injury, dehydration and improper feeding, besides creating risks for people handling or approaching them.
