Rare snake discoveries reinforce Dudhwa’s rich biodiversity

PTI Lakhimpur Kheri (UP): The discovery of two rare snake species has underscored the ecological richness of the Dudhwa National Park (DNP), exciting conservationists and researchers alike. Among the recent findings is the Painted Keelback (Xenochrophis cerasogaster), last documented in Uttar Pradesh over a century ago, and a brown vine snake (Ahaetulla prasina), which had never been seen before in the park’s forests, according to officials and wildlife experts. A few weeks ago, biologists Vipin Kapoor Sainy and Apoorv Gupta found a Painted Keelback near Nakauva nullah in Dudhwa, marking the first known sighting of this species in the region.

Although the non-venomous snake was discovered dead likely trampled by wild elephants its identification provided a significant addition to the local biodiversity records. “The recovery of this snake in Dudhwa after a gap of 117 years was really a feast to the eyes,” Sainy said, noting that the species had last been recorded in the Faizabad area in 1907. The discovery of the brown vine snake, a mildly venomous species with a unique brown morph, occurred several months earlier.

Sainy, who was collecting swamp deer pellet samples at the Bankey Tal in Sonaripur range, noticed a slender, brown snake moving through nearby shrubs. “I photographed the snake, took it into my lap for an on-spot observation, and later released it after documentation,” he said, describing the encounter.