📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / FelixReimann
Local
7-foot rat snake rescued from net in Thane, Maharashtra
✍️ Mid-Day
🗓 18 Oct 2026, 04:17 PM
👁 12
A seven‑foot rat snake that became entangled in a net in Thane was safely freed by local residents, according to Mid‑Day.
Thane, Maharashtra – Early on Wednesday, a resident spotted a large rat snake, estimated at about seven feet in length, caught in a fishing net near a residential area. The snake, identified as a common rat snake (Ptyas mucosa), had become immobilised as the net tightened around its body.
Neighbors quickly gathered and, with the help of a local animal‑welfare volunteer, carefully cut the net to free the reptile. The operation was carried out without harming the animal, and the snake slithered away into nearby vegetation once released.
Mid‑Day reported that the incident highlights the occasional human‑wildlife interactions in rapidly urbanising suburbs of Mumbai. Authorities advised residents to avoid handling such snakes directly and to contact wildlife rescue teams if similar situations arise.
The rescued snake is expected to resume its natural role in controlling rodent populations in the area.
Neighbors quickly gathered and, with the help of a local animal‑welfare volunteer, carefully cut the net to free the reptile. The operation was carried out without harming the animal, and the snake slithered away into nearby vegetation once released.
Mid‑Day reported that the incident highlights the occasional human‑wildlife interactions in rapidly urbanising suburbs of Mumbai. Authorities advised residents to avoid handling such snakes directly and to contact wildlife rescue teams if similar situations arise.
The rescued snake is expected to resume its natural role in controlling rodent populations in the area.