India, Sept. 10 -- LAKHIMPUR KHERI When Dudhwa motivator and snake rescuer Najrunnishan rescued a snake from a house in Sumernagar village of the Sampurnanagar forest range on August 16, something about it immediately caught her attention.

Her experience told her it was a common krait (Bungarus caeruleus), but the snake did not quite fit the familiar description. Its unusual colour pattern and the conspicuous absence of the white or yellow cross-bands or ring-like markings typically seen on common kraits left her puzzled.

To clear her doubts she documented the reptile and reached out to biologists and veterinary experts from Dudhwa. Dr Daya Shankar, a veterinarian from Dudhwa examined the snake and too found it unusual adding to the mys...