New Delhi: An early morning encounter with a cobra was the last thing Nalini chandola, a resident of Saket, had ever thought. As a biology teacher, chandola has taught students about reptiles but a close shave like the one on Wednesday morning, she says, was surely rare.
            A five foot long, black cobra was rescued from a garage in Saket on Wednesday evening. Residents say that the snake had been spotted in the neighbourhood for past 10 days. It is, however, surprising that not even a single case of ‘biting’ had been reported ever since the snake appeared, say experts.
            “It was past 7 am when I saw this black snake slither into my garden. When I went closer, I saw it with its hood up, hissing at me. I quickly came back and the snake slipped into a neighbouring garage,” said Nalini. On the instructions given by the wildlife people, I sealed any possible opening with bedsheets to prevent the snake from escaping, added Nalini.
            As the monsoon wears on, snakes have become more visible and herpetologists have cautioned against them.
            In last few months, says Kartick Satyanarayan, cofounder of Wildlife SOS, the number of reptiles discovered in residential areas have increased. The snake would soon be released in the Asola sanctuary.
            “It was only by evening that we could reach the spot since we were busy with callers all through out the day. It is appreciable that the residents didn’t panic else the situation might have gone out of control. The rescue was one of ‘kabadi’ before we could actually get to the snake,” said Kartick who also added saying: “People should avoid so much junk in their garages as they become breeding grounds for rodents, which in turn attract snakes.”

                                                                                    toireporter@timesgroup.com