The sighting of a rare coral red khukri snake in the Khuriyakhatta area of Terai east forest division has been welcomed by wildlife enthusiasts and forest officials. The snake had entered the home of a villager after which it was rescued by a forest department team which later released it safely in the jungle.
Villager Kavindra Singh Koranga had informed the Gaula range officer RP Joshi that a snake had entered his home compound on Friday. The forest team which reached the site, rescued the snake and then released it in the jungle.
Chief conservator of forests and special secretary to the CM, Parag Madhukar Dhakate informed that the first documented report of the coral red khukri snake in India was in 1936. It was then spotted in the Surai range of Terai east forest division in 2014. This rare coral coloured snake twice in Uttar Pradesh, once in Assam and now for the second time in Uttarakhand. This snake is scheduled in the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and is quite rare. This snake resides in termite hills and feeds on termites and the eggs of other snakes.