Starting Monday, visitors to Van Vihar National Park in Bhopal will get a rare chance to see King Cobras up close. For the first time in Madhya Pradesh, the majestic reptiles have been introduced to the park’s exhibits. The two male cobras, measuring an impressive 10.5 and 9.5 feet in length and aged 4 and 8 years respectively, were officially unveiled by the Chief Minister during a special inauguration on Thursday night.
Van Vihar Bhopal officials are optimistic that the arrival of these iconic snakes will boost footfall, attracting more wildlife enthusiasts to the national park.
The king cobra mostly eats snakes of other species. It is found in the Western Ghats and moist forests of India. Their bite can cause death within minutes. Although they are shy by nature, they stay away from human populations. They have not yet developed antivenom to counteract their poison.
Where are the snakes from?
King cobras are not found in Madhya Pradesh. Therefore, under the Animal Exchange Program, both of these male king cobras have been brought from Pilikula Biological Park in Karnataka. In return, a pair of tigers has been sent to Karnataka from Madhya Pradesh.
This work has been completed due to the Chief Minister’s special interest in King Cobra. Both of them were brought to Van Vihar in the first week of April. After this, they were kept for adaptation, now they have been left in the enclosure for people to see.
King cobras are not found in Madhya Pradesh; hence, the forest department was not even aware of their maintenance. Then a team from Van Vihar was sent for training in Pilikula, Karnataka. Even though both have been left in the enclosure, Van Vihar Director Vijay Kumar says that one of them can be sent to Indore Zoo. The Indore Zoo already houses a female king cobra.
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