‘Pythons live at peace with porcupines in burrows — science encourages curiosity’

Aditi Mukherjee is a conservation scientist at the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History. She tells Times Evoke Inspire about her research on pythons and porcupines, predators and prey, coexisting calmly:
I study burrowing animals which make their homes underground. My study site is in Bharatpur’s Keoladeo National Park, where I started researching Indian crested porcupines (Hystrix indica) in 2016. Using technologies like camera traps and customised burrow video cameras which could enter their homes, we began exploring how the porcupine creates its residence. It is an amazing builder and makes intricate burrow systems, where living chambers are connected through a tunnel. Porcupines construct their homes like we make ours — imagine a living room, bedrooms, etc., connected through corridors underground. These tunnels are very narrow. Our camera could reach to about 11 metres but the tunnels are much longer, with an average height of 0.1 to 0.5 metres and a width of 0.2 to 0.5 metres. The living chambers are double the size of the tunnel itself. The elaborate internal architecture of porcupine burrows was a revelation — but more surprises awaited.

GIVE ME SOME SUNSHINE: To be in good health, the Indian rock python needs to bask undisturbed in the sunlight. Photo courtesy: Aditi Mukherjee
We discovered that Indian rock pythons (Python molurus) were using these homes too — this was amazing as porcupines and pythons are prey and predator. But the two species had scientifically divided the space between them — the porcupines live in different chambers and emerge only when the pythons are in their own rooms. Also, the pythons enter the burrows after having eaten elsewhere. Other species, like leaf-nosed bats, had rooms here as well. They too are prey for pythons but they also lived in segregated chambers. This organised lack of interactions between prey and predator within the same space was fascinating.

A SCIENTIFIC PURSUIT: Using nonintrusive camera trap technology, Mukherjee tracks python behaviour around their burrows in Bharatpur, starting her fieldwork at 3:30am. Photo courtesy: Aditi Mukherjee



Golden jackals visited the burrows too but pythons and jackals had severe interactions. In their attempt to capture space, jackals often tried to eliminate both pythons and porcupines. Yet, pythons and porcupines live peacefully together, perhaps even deriving a sense of security thus. The animals intelligently manage the space between them — upon entering its chamber, for instance, the porcupine covers the entrance, just like we close the door to a room. Pythons’ chambers are small since they just need to huddle together for warmth — despite being larger, pythons actually take up very little space within earth.

Bharatpur is in a semi-arid zone and the temperature varies from 0.5 to 50 degrees. In summer, I start my fieldwork at 3:30 AM. I complete by ten and return to my field station to analyse data. It is easier to do fieldwork during cooler winter days. Since I track multiple species, my time is managed according to their habits. Pythons, for example, emerge from their homes by 8 AM and I track them until the evening.

I’m often asked if I feel afraid studying pythons at such close quarters. My answer is an unequivocal no. I’ve always been intrigued by these animals. I read ‘The Jungle Book’ as a child and became interested in a python called Kaa. Although portrayed negatively, this species fascinated me. Later, I studied pythons scientifically and science encourages curiosity, not fear.

I learnt that these are shy creatures and the Indian rock python is very calm. Pythons come out of their homes to bask in the sunlight and we’d record their activities. However, we did so without disturbing their basking. Their time in the sun is essential as it helps their growth, health, movement speed, digestion and reproduction. That’s why all cold-blooded creatures bask. We found tourist movement across Bharatpur was disturbing basking pythons a great deal. The study then helped the forest department make limitations in movement to protect them.

Contrary to perception, these are not aggressive creatures. They are very sensitive and reclusive — they feel our movements from 150 metres away and try to hide. To not alarm them, I’d sit on the ground for hours with my camera traps and move only by crawling gently, so they wouldn’t fear me. Once they saw me there everyday though, they seemed to relax and just sat quietly or snoozed in the light until it was time to go back.

These endangered animals are in Schedule I of India’s Wildlife Protection Act, which means they are a highly protected species. Yet, they are frequently killed, hunted or captured. They are not a charismatic species like tigers or elephants whose conservation sparks public emotion. Indeed, people are quite afraid of them and avoid their cause. It’s often hard for herpetologists to encourage people to consider the conservation challenges pythons face. But scientists endeavour to spread knowledge and spark understanding. I’ve found that these animals are true marvels of nature — learning about them and helping to protect them only adds to the richness of our own lives.