One Python Saved, One Lost — A Village in Arunachal Fights to Protect Its Snakes

# One Python Saved, One Lost — A Village in Arunachal Fights to Protect Its Snakes **When villagers in Silluk spotted a python slithering through their neighbourhood, one man decided the snake deserved a chance at life — and that decision made all the difference.** --- **A Snake in the Village, A Man With a Cage** It could have ended the way it usually does. A python appears near a village, panic sets in, and someone picks up a stick. But in Silluk village, tucked inside Arunachal Pradesh's Mebo subdivision, Kepang Nong Borang did something different. The chairman of the Silluk Swachh Abhiyan rushed to the spot the moment he heard about the sighting and carefully secured the young snake in a cage. No killing. No drama. Just a quiet, deliberate act of compassion for a creature that had wandered too close to human territory. That kind of calm thinking is rarer than it should be. --- **The One That Didn't Make It** What followed the very next day made Borang's decision feel even more urgent. Another python — reportedly around the same age and size — was killed by a group of village youths nearby. It's a reminder of how thin the line is between rescue and tragedy in communities living right at the edge of forest land. Borang said he had already been trying to persuade villagers to rescue the snake rather than harm it. Knowing a second one had been killed while the first sat in his cage must have stung. It also pushed him to act faster. --- **Into the Sanctuary** Borang approached the Borguli Wildlife Range with a concern that made practical sense — releasing the python in the jungle close to the village would still leave it exposed to danger. So the decision was made to take it further. The python was transported to the D. Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary and officially released in the presence of East Siang honorary wildlife warden M Tayeng and staff from the Borguli Wildlife Range. Silluk Village-II Gram Panchayat chairperson Opung Borang also made the journey with the team. It was a small convoy, but what it represented was significant. --- **A Community That's Been Here Before** This isn't the first time the Silluk Swachh Abhiyan team has done something like this. They previously rescued two Chinese pangolins — critically endangered animals — and released them into the same D. Ering Wildlife Sanctuary, once in 2023 and again in 2024. The team has also appealed to the State Forest and Wildlife Department for proper equipment: rescue cages, medicines, and gear for community members involved in wildlife rescue. Officials from the sanctuary and Borguli Wildlife Range acknowledged the villagers' efforts and expressed hope that more young people would join the cause. Opung Borang added that the rescued python's mother may still be near the village and urged residents to contact her or Kepang Nong Borang if they spot another snake — instead of trying to handle or kill it themselves. --- What's happening in Silluk is exactly the kind of ground-up conservation that no government scheme can fully manufacture. It starts with one person choosing a cage over a stick — and slowly, a whole community starts to follow. The python is safe in the sanctuary now. The question is whether the next one will be too. --- --- **② ARTICLE TAGS** python rescue, Arunachal Pradesh, Silluk village, D Ering Sanctuary, Mebo subdivision, Borguli Wildlife Range, Kepang Nong Borang, Opung Borang, wildlife conservation, snake rescue, python release, East Siang, community conservation, forest wildlife, Silluk Swachh Abhiyan, pangolin rescue, wildlife warden, python killed, human wildlife conflict, Northeast India wildlife, forest department, wildlife sanctuary, snake awareness, wildlife rescue, Arunachal news, wildlife protection, python India, forest community --- **④ SOCIAL MEDIA HASHTAGS** #ArunachalPradesh #PythonRescue #DEringWildlifeSanctuary #SillukVillage #WildlifeConservation #SnakeRescue #MeboSubdivision #NortheastIndia #SaveWildlife #CommunityConservation #ArunachalWildlife #PythonIndia #ForestDepartment #BorguliWildlifeRange #EastSiang #WildlifeAwareness #SillukSwachhAbhiyan #ProtectWildlife #IndiaWildlife #AbotaniTV

When villagers in Silluk spotted a python slithering through their neighbourhood, one man decided the snake deserved a chance at life — and that decision made all the difference. A Snake in the Village, A Man With a Cage It could have ended the way it usually does. A python appears near a village, panic … Read more