The python and the team that treated it at the Veterinary College and Research Institute, Tirunelveli. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
In a rare incident, veterinarians at the Veterinary College and Research Institute (VCRI) in Tirunelveli on Thursday surgically treated a four-year-old python that suffered a severe laceration after being trapped in a fishing net.
The six-foot snake, weighing around four kilograms, was brought for treatment by forest ranger Moolakal Balasubramanian with the help of the Karu Animal Rescue Unit Trust, Veeravanallur. “Local people who saw the snake mistook it for a viper and alerted the forest department. Officials rescued it and handed it over to Dr Manoharan, the department’s veterinarian, for treatment. He sent the reptile to us as it required surgery under anesthesia,” said SC Edwin, dean of VCRI.
Published – 09 Apr 2026 23:49 IST
