Date: 17 August, 1997
Time: 2015 - 2130
The security guard at the IUCAA Main Reception informed me at 2015 that a snake had been found behind the auditorium. My net was torn and under repair. So without bothering to take it, I made my way to the back side of the Auditorium.
There I found a Green Keelback with the head of a Common Toad in its mouth. The size of the snake was about 25 cm. As compared to the size of the snake, the toad was huge. I thought that the snake might have to vomit out the toad half way through the swallowing process. The snake's head was facing the ground but the toad was right side up.
I ran to get my camera and took some photographs with the flash and off shoe camera cord. It seemed to me that the snake would take a couple of hours to swallow the toad. I went off for dinner, but the canteen was already closed.
I walked back to the auditorium with Srini and Shruti leaving my camera bag behind. The snake was now right side up and the toad was on its back. Within a few minutes, the forelimbs of the toad were inside the snake. I went to get my camera again. By the time I returned, only the hind limbs of the frog were protruding out. I only had time for a couple of shots before the whole frog disappeared.
The snake started moving fairly rapidly at this point, finally becoming aware of human presence. The security guard was still feeling uncomfortable with the snake around so I picked up the snake and put it in my snake bag. We carried it a few hundred meters before releasing the snake in a grass thicket, where it will probably lie for days digesting its hard earned meal.
The whole swallowing process took about 90 minutes.