Snake Abuse Caught On Camera: Pythons, Cobra Tortured & Tapped For Reels In Karnataka's Shivamogga; Forest Officials Rescue Reptiles

Shivamogga: A shocking incident of snake abuse surfaced from Karnataka's Shivamogga, where some men reportedly tortured two Indian rock pythons and a cobra. The alleged abuse, which took place in the Agumbe rainforest, was recorded for making reels. Videos of the alleged torture soon went viral on social media.

In the clips, a man could be seen tapping the mouths of the reptiles, while another person was holding them. The accused, who shot the Instagram reels has been identified as Mohammed Irfan. He was absconding after the videos went viral.

Here Is The Video:

In the viral video, his group members could also be seen standing and watching the abuse. According to a report by Deccan Herald, the incident took place on Mathur Road in Indiranagar, Shivamogga, on Monday.

Irafan is reportedly a self-proclaimed 'snake rescuer' from Shivamogga. Several videos of Irfan dragging snakes on the road and his friends carrying them on their shoulders surfaced online.

Bhadravati forest officials swung into action and launched an operation to trace the main accused. The videos of the torture of reptiles sparked outrage. Forest officials raided Irfan's house in Shivamogga on the directions of Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre’s office.

During the raid, the forest officials recovered three Indian rock pythons and two cobras from plastic bags, reported the media house. All these reptiles are scheduled-I species and are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.

The state minister ordered strict action against the violators.

An investigation has also reportedly been launched into multiple research centres in Agumbe.