Rock Python hatchlings fascinate visitors to Lucknow zoo

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), July 13 (ANI): A Rock Python at the Lucknow zoo is drawing wide attention of people who are thronging to have a glimpse of its hatchlings.

Zoo officials are delighted, as the female python has laid the eggs after a period of four years. It laid them in two clutches. The first clutch has 26 eggs and the other 17 eggs, out of which hatchlings started coming out since July 9.

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Everyday, hordes of curious onlookers visit the zoo for a glimpse of the 10 hatchlings and more are awaited.

"I just saw the hatchlings and I think they would grow up to be quite dangerous just like their mother," said Himanshu, a young visitor.

The zoo authorities are taking all precautions to protect and look after these reptiles and plan to release them in the wild after once they grow up.

"Once all the hatchlings come out, we will try and release them in the wild as we do not have adequate space to accommodate all of them. As it is we have around 17 pythons in our zoo and more keep coming in after being rescued from various places. So, we will try to get them released in wild," said Renu Singh, Director for the Lucknow Zoo.

Female rock pythons lay up to 100 eggs between March and June and stay with them for a period of about 80 days till the eggs' hatch.

The Rock python are one of the two species of pythons found in India, the other being the Burmese python. Both the reptiles are endangered species and are placed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972). By Kamna Mathur (ANI)