Giant 15-Ft Python Seen Crossing Ghat Road [Video]
Driving through ghat roads is indeed fun. They reward us with great views and a pleasant driving experience. It is common to spot wild animals on many such drives. Recently, a group of travellers spotted a giant python crossing a ghat road in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirumala. A video of this has now been shared online.
This clip is from the second ghat road connecting Tirupati to Tirumala. Commuters spotted a giant Python slowly crossing the road on Tuesday night (November 4th), and one of them filmed it with a smartphone. The video opens by showing the huge reptile in rectilinear motion. It seems to be 15 feet long and is moving slowly on the road. It almost covers the entire width of the road as it moves... The vehicle that filmed it stopped and waited patiently till the Python was completely out of the road.
The wild animal caused panic among commuters. Pythons are non-venomous. They kill their prey by coiling around it and using their strong muscles to crush it to death. More importantly, they are heavy and move very slowly on land. Some species can, however, move fast in water or on trees.
It isn’t rare to spot these reptiles in many ghat sections and hill stations. Locals aren’t usually too scared of them. For commuters who aren’t familiar with the sight, the giant size of these snakes (which usually is in the ballpark of 10ft) can be quite frightening. The reptile in this video, seems to be even longer!
Going by the video, there were more vehicles around, which stopped and watched the animal cross the road. After crossing, the snake is seen moving along the concrete side wall separating the road from the woods nearby. According to reports, it later went into the woods.
This incident took place at around 9pm, and commuters seem to have relied mainly on vehicle headlights to spot and make way for the animal. Many of them were likely devotees travelling to the Vinayaka Swamy temple, a popular spot among devotees. This video has gone viral on various social media platforms and has sparked discussions online.
Some people claimed that it isn’t a python, but a Russell's viper in the video, and said that the commuters dealt with a huge threat. This isn’t likely to be true. The video doesn’t show the patterns on the snake’s skin clearly. But it seems to resemble those of a python.
Russell's vipers usually move faster than what’s shown in the video. Plus, they usually measure 4.5-5 ft- much shorter than the animal in this clip. These cement our belief that the reptile here was indeed a python.
It is good that the vehicles here stopped and ensured a ‘safe commute’ for the snake. In some places, motorists run over crossing reptiles, likely due to fear of them, eventually killing these wild animals. This is a punishable offence and, more importantly, very unfair! Forests belong to these animals, and we in no way qualify to complain about their presence or unleash terror on them.
In the recent past, several instances of spotting wild animals on roads and near human settlements have been reported in Tirumala. Leopards, bears, snakes, and mountain lions were spotted coming onto the footpaths and the ghat roads. There have also been cases of leopards attacking devotees.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) authorities have asked devotees and travellers to be careful on the ghat road, especially after nightfall. People have been advised to go on the footpath to Tirumala, only in groups.