Half albino snake rescued – The Hindu

A snake rescuer in the city identified and rescued a rare half albino rat snake and released it back into the wild.

Mohammed Umar Shariff, the snake rescuer, said that it was sighted near a lodge on the Outer Ring Road close to Vidya Vikas Engineering College. On close examination it turned out to be an Indian Rat Snake with a whitish colour and was caught and put in a rescue bag and released in a suitable habitat.

Mr. Shariff said albinism is caused due to mutation in the genes and failure to produce melanin which is a natural pigment that gives colour to the skin.

He said albino snakes have difficulty in living in the wild due to their bright colour and easily draw the attention of predatory birds and mongoose. The half albino rat snake was almost 7 feet in length.

Mr. Shariff may be contacted on 7829878980 or 7022909205 for assistance to trap or rescue snakes.