Youth from West Bengal held in Bhubaneswar with rare ‘flying snake’

BHUBANESWAR: Forest officials, with help from members of Snake Helpline, arrested a 19-year-old youth from West Bengal for carrying and showcasing a rare ‘ornate flying snake’, here on Tuesday. The youth was identified as Raju Mahato, from Asansol in West Bengal.
Mahato has been booked under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. “He was seen showing the colourful snake and asking people for money in front of the railway station,” assistant conservator of forests, Gaura Gopal Si, said.He added that it is too early to say whether the snake was smuggled or the youth had brought to sell it.

On Tuesday morning Snake Helpline founder Subhendu Mallick got a call from an auto-rickshaw driver who said a youth had a snake with him. “After reaching at the spot we found the snake to be rare, one not found in Bhubaneswar. We took the youth to the forest officer,” Mallick said.
Sources said the snake is mildly venomous but not harmful to humans. “The two-feet long snake does not fly but glides by extending its ribs and pulling it underside to slow its descent, like a parachute. It virtually glides through the air and can cover a distance of 100 metres. It is generally found in the forested hills of Similipal or Kuldiha,” Mallick said.