As many as 30 baby king cobras (Ophiophagus Hannah) returned home as Kalinga Foundation successfully incubated and released them into the forest in Chikkamagaluru district on August 11.
The hatchlings were handed back to the Forest Department in the presence of officials and the WildCat-C team.
It all started on May 17 when coffee workers in Bilagali, Chikkamagaluru district, spotted a female king cobra sitting on a pile of leaves. They understood that the female king cobra was guarding her nest.
They called Rizwan, a local snake rescuer, to relocate the snake and the nest from the area. At the same time, Shreedev and Prateek from WildCat-C, an NGO, sought help from Gowri Shankar, a king cobra biologist, to ensure that the cobra and her eggs are safe.
Due to pressure from locals, Rizwan had relocated the female king cobra and had already opened the king cobra nest. King cobras build a well-engineered nest to guard the eggs against heavy rains in the monsoon. The nest chamber is tightly packed and covered with layers of dry leaves to ensure the right temperature and humidity to keep the eggs dry. A disturbed nest is as good as killing the progeny.
On Mr. Gowri Shankar’s advice, Rizwan and the Forest Department team shifted the eggs into a cardboard box. Early next day, Mr. Gowri Shankar and Prashanth from Kalinga Foundation connected with officials in the Forest Department. As many as 38 eggs were gently transferred into cushioned compartments in plastic boxes and carefully transported to the Kalinga Foundation field site at Guddekere, Agumbe.
As many as 38 eggs were gently transferred into cushioned compartments in plastic boxes and carefully transported to the Kalinga Foundation field site at Guddekere, Agumbe.
At Kalinga Foundation, an artificial incubator was set up. Temperature and humidity were monitored throughout the day. The Forest Department was updated at regular intervals.
On July 25, the first baby king cobra popped its head out of its eggshell. Over the next one week, 30 eggs successfully hatched. Of the eight eggs that did not hatch, four were infertile, while another four had not developed, possibly due to early disturbances at the nest site.
Under natural conditions, baby king cobras remain close to the nest, surviving on remnants of the yolk. They shed their skin and then disperse into the forest. To simulate similar conditions, the hatchlings were kept until they shed their skin.
Members of the Forest Department of Karnataka, the WildCat-C team and Kalinga Foundation with the hatchlings, in Chikkamagaluru district on August 11, 2021.