IMPHAL: For villagers of Kumbi in Manipur's Bishnupur district, anything even remotely related to religion is sacred. The local deity, in any form, holds sway over their lives and is highly revered.
On Tuesday, when People For Animal (PFA) members went to rescue a python captured and worshipped by villagers as a 'reincarnation' of the local deity at the village, they had a hard time convincing them that the 8-ft-long reptile needs to released in the wild for its safety.
The reptile, which is listed under Schedule 1 (most endangered animals in the country) of the Protection of Wildlife Act, 1972, was captured from a paddy field at Kumbi Setupur by the villagers on Saturday. It was kept at the house of the owner of the field and hundreds offered money, fruits and flowers to the snake considering it to be a local deity.
"On Tuesday, the gathering grew bigger after local priests performed rituals. After taking the advice of forest officials, we, along with a strong police team, including commandos, went there today. The villagers and the priests strongly objected to handing over the python initially," said Lourembam Biswajit, the managing trustee of PFA, Thoubal.
After they were given a brief idea about the provisions of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, including the related penalties, the villagers finally released the python after performing some rituals. "While some chanted rituals praising the deity, others, in groups, wept near the python. We took the reptile to Manipur veterinary hospital in Imphal to check its health," said Bishwajit.
On being informed about the incident, PFA chairman Maneka Gandhi asked the PFA's Thoubal unit to rescue the python and release it in a safe place. "We will observe the python at our enclosure in Thoubal for a couple of days and release it the jungle after consulting with forest officials," he added.
In April, 2010, villagers of Lamlai in Imphal East caught a rare cobra from a house and handed it to Manipur zoo authorities.
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