Last week, a ball python (a non-venomous constrictor snake) was rescued from a Mumbai building by Police Constable Sachin More, a wildlife enthusiast. On December 4, More, from the LA-1 Naigaon police station, received a call from a Mahim resident about a snake outside their sixth-floor flat. “It wasn’t a native species but an exotic ball python,” said More. “I checked with the building residents, but no one claimed it. I rescued the snake and handed it over to the forest department with my friend Atul Kamble.”

Conservationists say such incidents are becoming increasingly common, often because owners cannot manage the care of exotic pets. They warn that escaped non-native species can pose zoonotic disease risks and disrupt local ecosystems.