Beat forest officer Roshni G S received a call from a family at Puthukulangara in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram district on Tuesday night. It was from the same house, where she had rescued a python curled up in the kitchen just a day earlier. This time, the snake was outside the house. Despite the body pain she was experiencing due to the previous catch, Roshni managed to catch the snake, marking a significant milestone in her career -- her 100th python rescue.

Roshni is also a member of the Rapid Response Team (RRT) under the Paruthippally forest range, where she is posted at present. Since attending a one-day training programme in 2019 and securing her licence, Roshni has rescued over 500 snakes, both venomous and non-venomous. Her dedication extends beyond snakes to include other wild animals like porcupines, deer, and civet cats. Her first rescue was also a python from Kallar. By 2021, she joined the RRT, making wildlife rescue an integral part of her daily life.

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Handling pythons, however, is no easy task. Their immense weight and strength make them particularly challenging to capture. “Pythons exert severe pressure to escape, which demands a lot of physical effort and often leaves me with body pain,” Roshni told Onmanorama. In one instance, a python leaped into a stream, forcing her to jump in after it. "There was no other option," she said.

Roshni also deals with challenges that many might find unbearable. “When captured, pythons often release urine and excrement as a defence. The smell is overwhelming and lingers for days, even after multiple baths. It’s so intense that I sometimes lose my appetite,” she admitted.

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Photos: Special arrangement.
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Despite these hardships, Roshni approaches her rescues with compassion and professionalism. Using the scientific ‘bag and pipe’ method, she ensures minimal harm to the snakes. “I never hold snakes by their shoulders, as it can damage their delicate bones, making it difficult for them to feed. I hold them by the tail, even though it demands extra effort,” she explained.

Initially, she kept a diary to document her rescues, but as the numbers grew and most rescues happened at night, she found it impossible to maintain the record.

Roshni’s passion is supported by her husband Sujith Kumar, an officer in the Co-operative Department, and their two children, Devanarayanan (Class 10) and Surya Narayanan (Class 7). “Calls often come at night, sometimes during dinner preparations, but my family has always stood by me,” she said.

Active on social media, Roshni shares videos of her rescues, inspiring others with her dedication to wildlife. For her, each rescue is not just a duty but a mission fuelled by compassion, courage, and an unwavering love for animals.  

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