Flying snake scares Keamari residents, killed by fireman

Karachi
A flying snake, also called a gliding snake, spread panic among residents near KPT Gate No 1 in Keamari on Friday night, so much so that they sought the help of firefighters, who reached there and “accidently” killed it.
“We received several calls from the residents of Keamari about a flying snake near KPT Gate No 1,” Chief Fire Officer Tehseen Ahmed Siddiqui told The News.
“A team of firemen from the Keamari Truck Stand were dispatched there and one of them accidently killed the snake while trying to capture it,” he added.
Siddiqui said the snake was airborne when a fireman accidently struck it with a crowbar.
The chief fire officer said he had instructed the firemen to capture the reptile so that it could be handed over to the zoo.
The presence of flying snakes has never been reported in Karachi before.
Wildlife experts said these snakes were not found in the city and they would have to look into as to how the reptile had turned up in Keamari.
Flying or gliding snakes, scientifically known as Chrysopelea Ornata, is found in Southwest India including West Bengal.
The experts said these snakes did not actually fly as the name suggested but glided like a parachute.
This is presumably done to cover distances faster, to escape predators, to catch prey, or to move around in forests.
Flying snakes usually parachute from tree to tree, but sometimes launch themselves from trees onto the ground. They have been known to cross as much as 100 meters.
WWF-Pakistan officials said they could not comment on the species of the snake until they had seen its pictures.