In what comes as good news for wildlife enthusiasts, the rare Coral Red Kukri snake (Oligodon kheriensis) has been sighted in the Surai range of Terai East forest division by a wildlife survey team of the State Forest Department. According to the team members, this if the first time that this snake has been reported from Uttarakhand, the three other recorded sightings being from Assam and lakhimpur-Kheri and Katerniaghat in Uttar Pradesh.
The team found two of the snakes including one found dead on the road, crushed by a speeding vehicle. The dead specimen has been preserved by the department for further studies. The survey team consists of wildlife biologist Vipul Maurya and herpetologist Jai Pratap Singh who have been entrusted with the task of surveying the forests of the Terai East division and collecting baseline data of different wildlife species, especially rare birds, amphibians and reptiles. According to the Terai East divisional forest officer Dr Parag Madhukar Dhakate said that the data collected will facilitate further scientific research for understanding and conserving the rich bio-diversity of the Terai forests.