Coins can be spotted in the vicinity of the reptile; visitors outside the python enclosure at the Byculla Zoo. Pics/Pradeep Dhivar

Here's how superstition can make people commit acts of cruelty, as was recently spotted by members of an animal welfare group when they were near the python enclosure of the Byculla Zoo. They spotted visitors throwing coins at the Indian Rock Python - a Schedule I animal - under the belief that it brings good luck, but even more shocking is the fact that despite claims of utmost care, there was no caretaker in the vicinity to prevent visitors from doing their bidding.