Zoo’s snake house closed as Red Sand Boa is stolen

Officials are ruling out money as a motive for the theft as the snake is very common in many parts of India. “There is a superstition that this snake helps bring riches to a person and that might be a probable reason for the theft,” added Anjankar.

While officials claim there is enough security to guard the cages,they admit that the haphazardly arranged cages prove to be a challenge for most security officials. “The total security force of the zoo is about 60 men including those who are posted outside offices and other buildings. These security guards work in three shifts,” said an official.

According to Anjankar,“One guard mans about 7-10 big cages and has to keep moving around these areas. The guard might have gone to the other side when the theft happened.”

While security had been beefed up and two guards now posted near the snake cages,most cages were unattended on Sunday evening too. “While a security guard is posted at the three entry gates,there is no set pattern for a specific guard to be on a given site. We are usually 10-12 people in one shift. How do you expect us to cover the entire area of the zoo?” asked a security guard posted at one of the gates.

The snake house which has 10 cages housing various kinds of snakes was closed for visitors on Sunday. A board outside said the “snake house has been closed for repairs”.

“The board was hung on Saturday,but not because of the theft. It had already been decided to close the snake cage for repairs as it is very old. The snakes were to be shifted to the hospital in the zoo,” said Anjankar.

The Byculla Zoo has over 600 animals in about 25-30 cages. Many other cages are closed and do not have any animals,said a zoo official.

“The zoo revamp plan will see the cages organised in a better manner. We also plan to put security cameras at various points for better security,” said a civic official. The Rs 150-crore revamp plan for the 53-acre Byculla zoo inlcudes bringing in many exotic species of animals.

The zoo authorities have written to the Byculla police station requesting them to register a complaint.