More than a dozen snakes, most of them venomous, have been rescued from rural pockets of Howrah in the past fortnight.

The haul includes five monocled cobras, one common krait and seven Russell’s vipers.

Russell’s viper, Indian cobra, saw-scaled viper and Indian common krait are the four most poisonous groups of snakes, experts said.

The latest rescue happened on Sunday evening. A full-grown Russell’s viper, around 4ft long, was found in Kantapukur village in Bagnan II block. The snake was coiled inside a pile of firewood stacked near a house.

A monocled cobra was rescued from Bainan village in Amta last Sunday (November 24). The snake was found near a waterbody, in a bamboo trap meant for fish.

The snakes were rescued by members of a nature lovers’ platform led by a certified snake rescuer.

“The snakes we rescued were from different villages in Bagnan, Amta and Uluberia,” said Chitrak Pramanik, a wildlife conservation enthusiast who is a trained snake rescuer, certified by the forest department.

A snake expert said late November to March is the mating season for Russell’s vipers.

“This is the period when they move around, looking for partners. The increased mobility is the reason they are spotted more,” said Anirban Chaudhuri, a herpetologist who has worked closely with the forest department on rescue and rehabilitation of reptiles and lesser mammals.

Snakes also prefer basking in the winter sun, he said.

Russell’s viper — called Chandrobora in Bengali for lunar marks all over its body — accounts for the highest number of snakebites in India. The species is named after Patrick Russell, a Scottish herpetologist who first described many of India’s snakes.

The monocled cobra is a highly venomous snake native to south and southeast Asia. The snakes get their name from the O-shaped hood pattern, also called the monocellate hood pattern.

Snakes play an important role in the agricultural ecosystem because they are natural pest-controllers. “They do not attack unless provoked. But they are often beaten to death out of fear. We try to spread awareness about snakes in schools and village fairs,” said Pramanik.

The state forest department does not have a dedicated cadre for rescuing snakes straying into human settlements. It has to depend on rescuers. But not all of them are trained.

“Pramanik’s team is working in coordination with us. They have been instrumental in the conservation of snakes,” said a forest officer in the Howrah division.

All the snakes rescued by the team have been released into suitable habitat, said
Pramanik.