A feisty 10-foot-long giant king cobra weighing around 20-30 kg was rescued from the banks of the Kumtiya river in Dhemaji district of Assam on October 17th, 2019.
The snake on the prowl was first spotted by some locals here and as panic gripped in the area, the local police and forest officials were called in for help. After an hour-long effort, the giant reptile was rescued with the help of local youths.
The snake is reported to be relocated to a wildlife sanctuary.
Meanwhile, the locals alleged that due to the felling of trees and mass deforestation has massively affected the wildlife habitat and the animals having no adequate food, shelter often comes out in the human habitat which leads to men animal conflict breaking the ecosystem.
“The illegal cutting down of trees and massive deforestation has led to a degradation of the ecosystem. This is the reason animals, birds die every year due to lack of food and shelter. The cases of men-animal conflict have seen a surge in these years,” said an irked local.
It may be mentioned that the king cobra is considered to be the largest of all poisonous terrestrial snakes. Threatened by habitat destruction it has been listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 2010. They are mainly found in South and Southeast Asia. When alarmed it raises the front part of its body, extends the hood, shows the fangs and hisses loudly.
Inputs & Photo: Jayanta Borah
