Rescuers of Nilgai Swallowed by Python Under Fire for Interfering With Nature

When locals in Himachal Pradesh saw a nilgai calf being swallowed by a python, they tried to save the antelope by shaking it out of the snake. The incident occurred in Haroli tehsil, Una, and has brought the would-be rescuers under fire for interfering with the course of nature. Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Parveen Kaswan shared footage of the attempted rescue on X, seeking his followers’ opinion on the act.“In a recent viral video some locals try to save a Nilgai calf after it was swallowed by a python. What do you think; is it right to interfere like this in natural world. Or they did right thing,” Kaswan asked.

In a recent viral video some locals try to save a Nilgai calf after it was swallowed by a python. What do you think; is it right to interfere like this in natural world. Or they did right thing. pic.twitter.com/Qgxk0MPUq0

— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) October 12, 2024

Social media users called out the people involved, arguing that it is not up to humans to decide the fate of an animal, especially in the wild.“That calf was dead the moment it went inside the pythons throat & got suffocated. What sense does it make now to beat the python to free the dead calf ?,” commented one.Reiterating the point, another wrote, “They were attempting to save a calf that was already dead. It's curious how people prioritize saving a calf over a snake simply because the calf is more relatable physiologically.”“It’s against the nature, everyone has the right to earn their food. So it’s incorrect to interfere in the natural world,” said a third user.It’s unlikely that the young nilgai survived the suffocation from being constricted by the snake, let alone getting swallowed.By the time onlookers started recording, it was already completely inside the python. The nilgai, a native antelope of India, is the largest species of its kind in Asia. The ruminant is protected under Schedule III of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which means its hunting is prohibited. On the IUCN Red List, it is a species of Least Concern, with an estimated population of 1,00,000 in India.