Red sand boa rescued from well in Tamil Nadu

A red sand boa (Mannuli Paambu) trapped in a well near Vedaranyam, has been rescued, forest department sources said today.

People had noticed the snake falling into the well on Thursday.It was struggling in the water as it could not come out.

Forest department officials rescued the 80 cm long snake yesterday and later released it into the Kodiakarai wildlife sanctuary, sources said.

The red sand boa is an endangered species and popular belief is that it has several curative properties.A single snake is reported to be fetching around Rs two to three lakh in the grey market.