New Delhi, Nov 10 (Bhaskar News) : Next time when you enter inside ATM booth, be careful because you may encounter a snake in addition to cash-dispensing machine. You may find this crawling creature coiled up somewhere behind the ATM machine or next to a dustbin.

From various locations in National Capital Region in general and Delhi in particular, wildlife NGOs received calls from people saying they have spotted snakes outside their habitat.

Just five days back on November 5, a long python measuring twelve-foot was found near the Kalindi Kunj Bridge. Just to get a glimpse of the creature, people stopped causing a traffic jam.

According to Dailymail.com, ‘Wildlife SOS’, a Delhi-based NGO in the last month, has rescued over 45 serpents. Pythons, cobras, sand boas and rat snakes are the ones which the NGO saved. Wildlife experts have sound concern and said the depletion of natural habitat for these serpents in the past two decades have forced them to seek refuge in booths, buildings etc.

As per the website Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder of Wildlife SOS says, “We are intolerant of our surroundings and people are developing each and every piece of land. No consideration is given to the bio-diversity forcing snakes to hide in ATMs or university campuses. Snakes are generally more visible in the monsoon season. But it has been different this year.”

However, only cobra and common krait are venomous out of 15 species of snakes found in NCR and will only harm if a person tries to step on it or hurt it.

Last month, in the JNU and the Delhi Technical University, cobras were spotted by the students and rescued.

Environmentalists say sightings of snakes will decrease after the onset of the hibernation period.

It may be recalled that in August last year, a minor boy died from a cobra bite in his house in Najafgarh. Snake was later rescued.