‘Living with Pythons’ is a nationwide initiative, which kick-starts in 2017,to create awareness and instill appreciation about India’s three Python species.

These include the Indian Rock Python (Python molurus), Burmese Python (Python bivittatus) and Reticulated python (Python reticulatus).

I must add here that the three python species that inhabit the Indian sub continent are amongst the largest and longest snakes of the world. Neglected, misunderstood and wantonly persecuted they are now on the endangered species list. Poaching for skins, superstitions and loss of habitat have resulted in alarming drop in numbers. There is no comprehensive data available on biology and ecology too.

This initiative aims to promote acceptance and understanding about Indian pythons through conservation outreach, community engagement and field based herpetology techniques.