Five Common Bronzeback snakes were found inside the air conditioner of a house at Cheruvakkal in Sreekaryam, Thiruvananthapuram, on Wednesday. Four of them were rescued and later released into a forest area.

The snakes were found in the bedroom of Madhav J Panicker, a Technopark employee. Madhav noticed an unusual sound coming from the AC in the evening after returning from work. On checking, he saw what appeared to be a tail quickly disappearing beneath the unit. Suspecting something unusual, he moved closer and heard a faint sound from inside. When he flashed a torchlight into the AC, he spotted part of a snake’s body.

Madhav first tried to contact snake rescuer Vava Suresh but could not reach him. With the help of his father, he then contacted Roshini GS, a snake rescue officer working with the Rapid Response Team (RRT) at Paruthippally. Acting on her instructions, SARPA volunteer and snake catcher Gautham Murali K rushed to the spot.

After inspecting the AC with a torchlight, Gautham identified the reptiles as Bronzeback snakes (locally known as Villoonni), a non-venomous species.

“I reached the house around 7.30 pm. It is about 12 km from my house. The family initially suspected it might be a cobra, but after inspection, I confirmed they were Bronzeback snakes,” Gautham said.

He added that removing the snakes was impossible without dismantling the air conditioner. “So we waited until an AC technician arrived,” he said. Gautham has been rescuing snakes for the past eight years and has been an active SARPA volunteer for five years.

Once the technician arrived, the AC unit was opened. “We first spotted two snakes and rescued them immediately. Later, we found two more on the other side of the unit, which had to be opened as well,” Gautham said.

While examining the unit further, he noticed another opening and spotted a fifth snake. “When we flashed the light, it quickly escaped through the AC vent,” he added. The technician later closed the hole to prevent further entry.

According to Gautham, the snakes likely entered the AC through tree branches that were leaning close to the terrace of the house, giving them easy access. He advised residents to trim branches that touch or lean towards houses as a precaution.

“This is the mating season for snakes, and they may have entered the AC unit for that reason. We could not determine the exact number of males and females among the rescued ones. It is possible that one was female and the others were males,” he said.

One of the rescued snakes measured around one metre in length, while the others were smaller.

Madhav lives in the house with his parents and brother.