A video showing a group of men performing dangerous stunt with pythons has appeared on social media. The video has been shot in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr and shows two men casually holding the tails of the giant pythons and smiling while posing for photos. The video appears to have been shot on a paved road in a field near the Ganga Canal embankment and the men are enjoying themselves while handling the pythons who are trying to slither away. Though the men say they have "rescued" these pythons, the police and forest department have launched an investigation.
"Pythons are among the protected wildlife species, catching them and displaying them in a public place is a serious issue," district forest officer (DFO) Dr Harendra Singh said.
City CO Prakhar Pandey said police and cyber teams are working to identify those involved, and legal action will follow.
The clip has been posted on Instagram and shows the young men holding the pythons in their hands and trying to wrap them around their necks.
The exact date of the video is not known. The police are trying to identify the young men seen in the footage.
Handling snakes without proper knowledge and protocol can lead to dangerous outcome. A few years ago, Maaz Syed from Karnataka filmed himself crouching in front of three cobra snakes, pulling their tails and moving his hands about.
The gestures were perceived as threatening by the snakes and they reacted aggressively by attacking the man.
The footage of the incident had gone viral and showed one of the snakes lunging at the man and biting his knee. The reptile refused to let go even as the shocked man tried to pull it away.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world