Rare Python at Taj ticket window causes flutter

Faizn Khan / Agra

Tourists intending to buy ticket for entry to Taj mahal were in for shock this morning when they were greeted by a five-feet long python at the window.

The staff of the Archraelogical Survey of India (ASI) and tourists ran for their lives on seeing the python.

Later, the Wildlife SOS Rapid Response Unit rescued the python after they were informed about it by the tourist police.

Tourism police officers stationed at the western gate of the Taj Mahal had earlier spotted the five-foot-tall Indian rock python, which is a protected animal.

The rescue team caught the dragon safely and put it in the snake bag. After the python was caught, the staff and tourists breathed a sigh of relief.

Python rescued from Taj Mahal ticket counter

Informing Wildlife SOS, tourist police constable Vidya Bhushan Singh said, "The python was seen by the tourists near the window of the ticket counter. After seeing the snake, panic spread among the tourists. The tourists left the ticket window and stood away.”

Kartik Satyanarayana, co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, said, "We are grateful to the tourist police at the Taj Mahal for supporting our conservation efforts by reporting this to our helpline number. Rescue operations involving snakes are extremely sensitive. Our rescuers are trained to carry out rescue operations efficiently and carefully.”

Baijuraj MV, Director, Conservation Projects, Wildlife SOS, said that the Taj Mahal complex is close to the Taj Nature Walk Green Belt, so wildlife often strays here.

This is a non-venomous snake species. They feed mainly on small animals, bats, birds, moles, deer and wild boar and are commonly found in the forests of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The species is protected under the Schedule to the Wildlife Conservation Act, 1972 and is listed under the appendix to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).