On the trail of king cobras

Follow me....!

In India, King Cobras are found in the Western Ghats, Orissa, a small stretch of Andhra Pradesh, the North Eastern States and the Andamans.  Since our focus so far has been on king cobras of the Western Ghats (primarily in Agumbe), we have very little knowledge of their counterparts in rest of the country. This year we decided it was time to set foot beyond Agumbe and tread on the trail of these kings.

Our first step was a visit to Thrissur, Kerala after a frantic call from Dr.Nameer, Asst.Professor, Center for Wildlife Studies. Here, three king cobras were caught back to back and a fourth one was spotted in the same house due to which the family had abandoned their home and was staying in their neighbour’s house.

Interacting with the owners at Paramala village...where the kings came calling!

Such intrusion was certainly not welcome and though they had initially supported the rescue of the former three, they were now on the verge of killing the fourth.

Interacting with students at the College of Forestry

Dr.Nameer translates the presentation in Malayalam as we address villagers at Paramala

Education is the key to reach out and open minds. With Dr.Nameer’s help I was able to address students at the Forestry College and villagers.  I see good potential for long term studies on king cobras and feel that urgent measures to conserve these serpents are needed.

As I write this, I am on the second leg of my journey on the king’s trail. I am at Mizoram and am humbled with the hospitality that I have been receiving. The North Eastern states always seemed very mysterious and this visit is a dream come true! Thanks to HT, Asst. Professor Mizoram University and Hrima, a businessman who enticed us with news about kings (How could anyone sit quiet after hearing of people spotting 10 king cobra nests in one year!!! ? ) from this part of the country for over a year that pushed Rom and me beyond Agumbe. An invitation from the Mizo FD was most welcome and set the tone for this trip.

Aizawl...A birds eye view

Mr. Eanga, DCF extended a warm welcome. Though the place reminded me of Agumbe in many ways I was at once awed and amused to see buildings standing on cliffs. Most structures are on stilts including parking platforms with a Maruthi car in every home. Considering narrow roads and the terrain, the monopoly seemed justified. Most goods were imported from other states hence even a simple Hawaii (flip flops) slippers cost more than Rs.300 (while we could get them for as cheap as Rs.30 in Bangalore!) Fashion consciousness among all ages is so matured and far reaching compared to other cities I have been to. The level of literacy is good (literacy rate 91.85 %)  and most people speak English. It was interesting to see the script for Mizo was English. With hardly any agricultural activities, trade and business are their primary occupation. Christianity is the predominant religion which is probably also one of the reasons why snakes are not tolerated by people. Sadly most streams are polluted severely and without doubt adversely affect various life forms downstream.

King Cobras are considered common snakes here (just like cobras and rat snakes in Karnataka).  After seeing the kings being revered and treated as ‘KINGS’ down south, to consider them just ‘ordinary’ and like any other serpent was a little discomforting to me. They are often found within city limits and mostly killed on sight. Though a small bunch of people like HT, Hrima and their teams are trying hard to push people to call for rescue, very few heed. Another striking contrast is, in Agumbe people love to watch rescue operations and would probably even be happy to witness the drama if I were to get bitten, but here it seemed people preferred to watch the snake being killed than it being rescued. This calls for a big attitude change, which I am confident will happen if only we could channel the energies and passion of the many young people to create awareness and sensitivity.

Addressing students as part of World Environment Day celebration

Undoubtedly serious efforts are needed if we are to learn and conserve these magnificent serpents. With help from the forest departments, NGOS, passionate young reptile enthusiasts we are keen on starting and helping in initiating projects along similar lines of Agumbe. The small team here is already on the right path of rescuing king cobras, educating people, protecting nests and releasing hatchings back to wild. Doing the same on wider scale and using scientific methods will go a long way in filling in for the dearth of information from this part of the country.

Though radio telemetry studies (similar to that in Agumbe) is a possibility it would be highly challenging and tricky to follow kings on these steep terrains.   Studies of king cobra breeding biology, monitoring nests, hatchings and collecting rescue data would provide a door way in understanding king cobras of the north eastern states.

After this visit I feel Mizoram is indeed a great place to study king cobras. With its ‘commonness’, peoples attitude and hilly terrain it is a different ball game altogether but nevertheless an opportunity one should not miss.

Filling in the visitor book....checkout its size!

The next leg of my journey takes me to Andhra Pradesh where I will visit different places in the Eastern Ghats where king cobras have been sighted and sadly killed. This being a totally different terrain I am sure it is going to throw up many surprises and get me on the edge to explore the lives of these king cobras too. Can’t wait!!!

Authors: Sharmila & Gowri Shankar

Edited by : Shweta Harish

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