Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): After Chief Minister Mohan Yadav underlined the need to rehabilitate King Cobra into the jungles of state, the officials of forest department sought the opinion from Wildlife Institute of India (WII), and the latter has already given its initial report.
Interacting with Free Press, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF), Wild Life, VN Ambade said, “As far as King Cobra subject is concerned, we sought WII’s opinion and they have responded. The institute needs to do a survey of the potential areas of the state before reaching any conclusion.”
Sources said if the project is executed then forest department intends to bring King Cobra from southern states like Tamil Nadu or Karnataka. However, the point of contention is whether King Cobra ever existed in the jungles of state. Another senior officer of Forest Department said that after receiving the initial report, they have written to WII to do feasibility study regarding King Cobra. On getting the positive reply, budget will be sanctioned for feasibility study. It is after the study that decision could be taken that how many King Cobra needs to be brought and from where.
An ex-PCCF (Wild Life), pleading not to be named, said that it is an illogical thing to bring King Cobra from other place as he had never ever heard of any such thing in the past. Sources said that King Cobra normally lives in areas with high humidity like Western Ghat which receives intense rains. The average length of King Cobra is five to six meters.
However, ex-PCCF Wild Life, HS Pabla said that he reckons that many years ago, few King Cobras were rescued from houses and brought to Van Vihar National Park. But he doesn’t know what became of them.
