Ecology of Snakes in Captivity in Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park, Katraj, Pune, Maharashtra

Abstract

Snakes are a crucial part of the ecosystem, both as prey and predators. Being a wild animal and not usually sighted by ordinary man, they are often found in captivity in zoos. The study of these creatures in captivity gives an important insight into how captivity can affect their natural ecological behavior and contributes to their welfare in captive management, along with effective zoo management. The study aims to understand the captive habitat, feeding practices, and scat analysis in the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park in Katraj, Pune, Maharashtra. The data were collected through onsite observation, enclosure assessments, zookeeper interviews, and sample collections from enclosures of multiple snake species. Data on diet distribution showed greater percentage of rats in diet, keelback dominated the average quantity of diet. Detailed veterinary health came management protocols were collected from the zoo which put light on the health status of the snakes in captive condition. These findings underscore the Importance of replicating the artificial ecological environments for the snake species according to their natural environments, which differ from species to species, alongside incorporating ecological principles into enclosure building and management. The study was conducted to contribute to the systematic ideas on the welfare of captive snakes with a broader conceptualization of conservation and educational objectives within zoological institutions.