The Krait Story

When Wishes Come True: The Krait Story

Life in the field is full of surprises, and sometimes it feels like nature has a sense of humor. When Aabhas first joined our team, one thing was clear right away—he was absolutely determined to see kraits. At first, we all took it lightly, teasing him a bit. But as the nights passed, something strange started happening. Kraits, which can be very shy and rare to spot, began appearing almost every night around us. It was as if the universe had heard Aabhas’s wish and decided to deliver. Oddly enough, he was the only one who seemed truly happy about it. For the rest of us, the constant presence of these nocturnal snakes was more than a little nerve-wracking.

One particularly memorable evening, there was a call about a snake spotted in the welcome area of the resort. Given the recent run of events, “snake” was usually code for either a krait or a wolf snake. If this were any other night, it might have been a guessing game, and I probably would have bet on the non venomous wolf snake. But with so many kraits showing up lately, I knew what to expect. When we arrived, there was indeed a small baby krait waiting for us. We quickly got our rescue gear together, carefully caught the little snake, and bagged it safely. We then went to release it outside the property, making sure it was far enough away to avoid any trouble.

Since we were already out in the safari Gypsy after dark, we decided to follow our usual custom—we took a round through the forest road before heading back to the resort. Driving towards a spot where I had previously seen a leopard a few months earlier, Aabhas suddenly called out, "Snake!" Without hesitation, he jumped out of the vehicle and checked. It turned out to be a Forsten’s cat snake crossing the road at its own leisurely pace. We waited patiently, snapped a few photos, and then continued our drive back, a little more relaxed but still mindful of the night’s surprises.

Later, just as I was about to sit down and enjoy my dinner, the phone rang again. This time, the call was even more unexpected—a wolf snake was inside one of the guest rooms, busy munching on a gecko. The whole training group sprinted over, excitement buzzing through the air like electricity. The snake was taking its time, eating slowly as if it were in no rush at all. I knelt down, grateful that it waited long enough for me to get some good photos before it finished its meal. We made sure not to disturb it too soon because catching a snake right after a big meal can cause regurgitation. So, with gentle taps on its tail, we guided the snake outside into the stone wall, where it could rest and digest in peace, and the guests could finally relax knowing the visitor had safely moved on.

And that, my friends, was three snakes in just one hour! It's funny how life in the wild works sometimes—wishes do come true, but not always in the way you expect. Aabhas had been hoping for kraits, and the universe seemed to have taken that as a personal challenge, sending them our way like an overenthusiastic delivery person. While he was busy snapping photos and grinning from ear to ear, the rest of us were quietly hoping for a break, maybe even fewer snakes to share the night with. But no such luck. We saw snakes, again and again—and honestly, it felt like the whole animal kingdom was in on the joke, saying, "You wanted kraits? Here’s a whole night’s worth—enjoy!" I'm pretty sure if snakes had a sense of humor, they’d be chuckling at us even now.

Follow Sujith NS - @viajero_de_barba, Aabhas - @aabhaschawrekar