Shedding the 'terror' skin from king cobras

breaking myths Yes, the very presence of king cobra might infuse fear of pain and death among people. But experts tell Pavan Kumar H that they are the

Its sheer length, toxicity of the venom, its ability to lift one-third of its body while attacking and a terrifying hood  certainly puts king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) in the list of world’s most dreadful snakes. But experts say that king cobras are the most innocent and shy creatures, whose main intention is to avoid confrontation with humans. Statistics also prove that the top-most predator of the food chain have hardly attacked humans. So, why this fear?

Paying a price for ignorance

Though there are no official figures on the number of people killed by king cobras in India, experts believe that hardly three to four people have died due to the king’s venom in the last decade. P Gowri Shankar, renowned herpetologist and director of Kalinga Centre for Rainforest Ecology in Agumbe says, “Unlike the general notion, it is the king cobra that is at the receiving end of human’s fear. They  defend themselves only when they are threatened or attacked.” Though, again, there are no official figures on the number of king cobras in the wild or on the number of these snakes being killed every year,
experts say that the number crosses 100 every year.

“While in most parts of Karnataka, people and farmers protect and revere these snakes, few others kill them as soon as they spot them. We have to educate these people on the importance of kings and their presence to maintain the nature’s balance,” Gowri says. Ajay Giri, education officer at world’s first King Cobra Study Centre, Agumbe Rainforest Research Station (ARRS), says, “We need to realise that, it is we who have encroached into the territories of king cobras and not the other way round. They have learnt to co-exist with humans, while humans haven’t.” 

On protecting this endangered species, both Ajay and Gowri agree on the fact that  snake translocation is not a solution. “Translocation will lead to more concentration of king cobras in one area of the forest, disrupting the food chain at the translocated place,” they say. “King cobras are very territorial. If translocated, kings in the pursuit of finding home territory, will give rise to more human-animal conflicts,”Ajay adds.

Gowri adds, “Of the total 35-38 eggs the female king cobra lays, hardly two-three per cent reach adulthood, as the hatchlings do not get parental care. Their presence in wild is equally important as that of any other predators like tiger or lion.”

Another reason for the reducing numbers are the unscientific methods employed by certain snake catchers, who in their bid to show off, keep snakes at their homes, which is against the law. King cobras are protected under the Schedule II of Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and any person found killing and keeping them un-lawfully is liable to be punished.

“I have rescued the same king cobra twice from the same place. Thanks to the abundance of food and water in the field, the snake returned quite frequently.

Translocating it would make no sense,” says Joy Satish, a snake rescuer in Ujire. Having rescued more than 128 king cobras, he says, “Most of the times, I am forced to translocate the snakes caught in villages to Charmadi Ghats, which is wrong, but is better than leaving them in the hands of the villagers.” 

Terminating king cobras from their natural habitat causes further complications to humans as these top predators control the rate of other venomous snakes. “If you relocate one king cobra from a particular field, nearly 10-12 venomous snakes like cobra and vipers will establish their presence in that area. This will result in more human-snake conflicts and in deaths of both humans and snakes,” says the expert.

What’s the solution?
The only way both humans and animals can co-exist is by man learning more about the snakes, says expert. “Ever since we initiated the awareness programme on king cobras and its ecological significance in the villages of Theerthalli, Hebri, Sringeri, Agumbe and surrounding areas, where the presence of king cobras are more, the perception of locals have changed. They have developed a snake-friendly attitude now. The Conflict Mitigation programme led by ARRS has made the locals look the snakes with a
different perspective. Today, if they spot snakes in their vicinity, they immediately call up the forest department for help,” says Ajay.

The breeding time for these cobras is  March-April and it is also the time when Ajay gets the maximum number of calls from the locals. In this season, male king cobras combat for females and become more active. In order to prevent the possibilities of extinction, it’s better to leave the snakes alone during this period. 

So, how do rescue missions take place in such important seasons? Ajay says, “We carry out awareness programmes wherein the villagers get to look at the snakes’ behaviour. Once the snakes part and move on, people realise how harmless they are.”