KOCHI: Cobra sightings increased in the district in the month of June compared to previous months. As many as 12 cobras were rescued last month as against eight each in April and May. Most of the cobras were rescued from Kakkanad area.
Most of the snakes rescued in June are females. It also includes hatchlings. The rescue team of the forest department says that more cobra sightings have been reported since June being the breeding period and more hatchlings come out after incubation. They also attribute the trend to the absence of predators like mongoose. The unplastered basement of many concrete walls also turns out to be safe haven for cobras.
“We rescued three hatchlings from a house last month. The space between the granites in the basements of buildings turn out to be safe shelter for cobras. We rescued many cobras from the holes in unplastered basements last month and asked owners to plaster it,” said special forest protection force (SFPF), Kodanad, officer J B Sabu.
Cobra, viper, python and other snakes hatch in the first week of June. Mother snakes come out one week before the hatching of eggs hatching. This might be the reason for increased sightings of snakes especially cobras. Besides, predators like mongoose are not mostly seen in the city,” he said.
Awareness among public against killing of snakes also results in more snake rescue instances. The rescued snakes are released in nearby forest areas. However, scientists rue lack of research studies on why more snakes are spotted in residential areas. “The increased presence of snakes in human habitats might be because of climate change. The population of python has increased in the city drastically.
Cobras usually live in burrows. The presence of burrows declined drastically and that’s why they are more exposed now. Sadly, we don’t have protocols for rescuing and releasing snakes. They don’t maintain even a register, which will help identify pattern of seasons when the snakes are sighted mostly and the reason for it,” said scientist at Zoological Survey of India Jaffar Palot.
Cobras fall under Schedule II of Wildlife Protection Act. Killing it will invite fine and imprisonment or both.
