India, June 25 -- On Tuesday, 22 eggs of the Indian rock python were hatched in an artificial incubator, almost a month after they were rescued from drainage pipelines in Vikhroli by Mumbai forest officials and volunteers of the Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW).

On May 18, RAWW and the forest officials received a distress call from workers who were carrying out pre-monsoon cleaning off the Eastern Express Highway in Vikhroli. As the work was underway, the workers spotted a female python protecting her 22 eggs inside a drainage pipeline. "No one touched the python, as the drainage line was attached to the highway. If it had moved, it would have caused a problem on the busy street," said Pawan Sharma, founder of RAWW.

Sharm...