In an unusual and daring operation, a spectacled cobra and a golden jackal trapped together in a 25-foot-deep dry well were rescued together in a village in Pune district of Maharashtra.
The incident took place last week in Rajuri village, situated in Junnar tehsil of Pune district.
The residents of the village could never have imagined encountering such a sight, when they saw a snake and a jackal stuck together in the same well.
With years of sensitisation and awareness regarding such situations, the villagers immediately informed the Maharashtra Forest Department. Recognising the urgency of the situation, the forest department also alerted the Wildlife SOS team to assist in the rescue operation.
Equipped with the necessary gear, the NGO’s team rushed to the village to help the distressed animals. After carefully assessing the situation, the rescuers first lowered a net to haul the jackal out of the well. Subsequently, one of the team members climbed down the well to safely extricate the nearly 5-foot-long Cobra.
After an arduous 2-hour-long rescue operation, both the cobra and the jackal were released upon assessing a suitable habitat.
Dr. Akhilesh Dhage, Veterinary Officer, Wildlife SOS said: “Witnessing the snake and the jackal coexisting in that temporary environment was an incredibly rare sight. We carried out an on-site health assessment and determined that both animals were fit for release. While the jackal – an approximately 2-year-old male – was released on the spot, the snake was released at a short distance from the original rescue location.”
Baiju Raj MV, Snake expert and Director of Conservation Projects, Wildlife SOS said: “This is definitely a unique situation because normally in the wild, these two animals typically act as mortal enemies.The jackal can face certain death from the Cobra’s bite. However, against their natural instincts, they formed an unexpected alliance. Both animals seemed to understand the danger they were in, leading to an unspoken agreement to not harm each other.”
Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO, Wildlife SOS said: “An estimated 8.7 million open wells are present in India, ranging in size from 2 m to 20 m in diameter, and 1 m to 70 m in depth. Most wells do not possess any sort of lid or barrier walls, to prevent animals from falling in; nor do they provide any form of escape for animals that do fall.”