As many as 22 Indian rock pythons have hatched from eggs that were recovered from a drain in Mumbai last month, an official from the state forest department said on Tuesday.With the joint efforts of the Maharashtra forest department and RAWW (Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare), 22 Indian rock pythons were incubated and hatched in a controlled environment, he said.The eggs were recovered along with a nine-foot female rock python from a drain line on the Eastern Express Highway during pre-monsoon maintenance work in May, said Pawan Sharma, founder & president of RAWW.The rescued python was declared fit and released into the wild, while the eggs were handed over to the organisation for artificial incubation, said Chinmay Joshi, zoologist from RAWW.He said the young ones started emerging from the eggs in the wee hours of Monday.Sharma said they will undergo a medical examination and will be released into their natural habitatIndian rock pythons are among the top protected species in India, listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act and are classified as near threatened as per the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), making them endangered globally due to habitat loss, hunting and poaching, he said.
