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Twenty-two Indian Rock Python eggs those had recently hatched at a wildlife rehabilitation facility after being rescued from a Mumbai drain were successfully released into the wild, officials said on Wednesday.

They said that after careful incubation and monitoring, all 22 hatchlings had emerged healthy and fit to be released into their natural habitat.

The eggs had successfully hatched in a controlled environment through the joint efforts of the Maharashtra Forest Department and RAWW (Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare), with a team of wildlife rescue and rehabilitation experts from the nonprofit leading the initiative.

Last month, wildlife rescuers had recovered the 22 eggs along with a nine-foot female python from a drain along the Eastern Express Highway in Mumbai during pre-monsoon maintenence work. 

A remarkable wildlife rescue story unfolded in Mumbai as 22 Indian Rock Python eggs discovered in a city drain have successfully hatched at a wildlife rehabilitation centre. The hatchlings, now healthy and thriving, have been safely released back into their natural habitat.

Via:… pic.twitter.com/TaZfw5dSxB

— Mid Day (@mid_day) June 25, 2025

RAWW undertook the rescue operation in coordination with the Forest Department as the python and the eggs could not be left at the drain owing to the nature of the pre-monsoon work as well as to avoid any harm to human or the snake and its eggs.

The eggs were placed in an artificial set up under favourable conditions and were constantly monitored at RAWW`s wildlife rehabilitation facility. In the early hours of Monday, the young ones began emerging from their shells. 

The Indian Rock Pythons are among the top-protected species in India. They are listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act,1972, and are classified as `Near Threatened` according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), making them endangered globally owing to habitat loss, hunting and poaching.