One stunned resident discovered a rare snake, the bamboo pit viper, twisted around a vine at their home in Nagpur, India.
In August 2025, a resident spotted an unfamiliar snake hanging from a vine, per the Live Nagpur. He contacted experts from the Wildlife Welfare Society, who arrived on the scene promptly. The experts identified the snake as an approximately two-foot-long bamboo pit viper.
According to the Live Nagpur, the rescuers took the snake to the Transit Treatment Centre. Its team clarified that this was the first-ever recorded sighting of the bamboo pit viper in Nagpur.
The article explained that this snake species is typically forest-dwelling, often found among dense trees and shrubs.
Nagpur Today reported that the bamboo pit viper, characterized by bright green scales and a yellow belly, is native to the Western Ghats. After closer examination, the Transit Treatment Centre released the viper into the forest.
The Nagpur resident is not the only person to have a rare creature visit their home. Many others have experienced similar incidents, with appearances ranging from the pine marten to rare grasshoppers and fishers.
These sightings can offer hope that conservation and reintroduction efforts are yielding positive results for many species.
With that said, despite being venomous, the bamboo pit viper typically does not bite humans unless provoked. Should a human get bitten by one, they will likely experience swelling and pain, according to Wildlife SOS.
In general, there are currently no significant threats to the bamboo pit viper. But as with many species, Animalia reported that these snakes can experience habitat loss due to human activity.
Additionally, World for Nature explained that these vipers are sometimes injured or killed by humans out of fear. However, as long as humans don’t provoke the snake, they can easily coexist with one another.
Greenverz highlighted that the bamboo pit viper offers benefits that humans can appreciate, including the effective control of rodent populations. They also serve as prey for other species, playing a vital role in the ecosystem that supports food supply, livelihoods, and recreation.
To keep the bamboo pit viper population safe, World for Nature recommends supporting habitat conservation and improving education about the snake to reduce human-animal conflict.
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