NTR Forest Division Books Event Organizer for Abuse of an Indian Python, Following PETA India Intervention
After learning about the abuse of an Indian python in a procession held in Hanumanpet, Vijayawada, a former member of the Andhra Pradesh Animal Welfare Board, Mohammad Idrees, worked with PETA India to get a preliminary offence report (POR) registered under Section 9 read with Section 2(16)(b), Sections 39(1)(3), 51 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act (WPA), 1972. The offence is non-bailable and is punishable by up to seven years in jail and a minimum fine of Rs 25,000.
An eyewitness observed the snake being confined in a bag before being forcibly placed around an individual’s neck. The eyewitness also reported that the python’s mouth appeared stitched. The event organiser has been taken into custody, and forest officials are actively searching for the python and the individual who handled the snake.
Snakes are trapped and taken from their natural habitats to be used for entertainment and kept as “pets,” disregarding the WPA, 1972. Their teeth are often violently yanked out, and their venom glands are emptied for venomous species. Their mouths are often sewn shut, leaving only a tiny gap into which liquid can be poured. Captured snakes do not live very long, and their death is slow and painful.
