Rescuers release 18 baby cobras in the wild after two months of conservation efforts
- 6 years ago
This is the moment 18 baby cobras are released in the wild marking a successful end of nearly two months of conservation effort.
Snake Helpline, an animal welfare organisation in Bhubaneswar, India, had rescued a pregnant cobra from a construction site on April 27.
The mother cobra had been released in its natural habitat after it had laid 23 eggs.
“Eighteen of these eggs hatched on June 18 and 19 after an incubation period of 54 to 55 days. Five eggs were damaged by the extremely fluctuating weather conditions in Odisha,” said Subhendu Mallik, Secretary of Snake Helpline.
The members of Snake Helpline took the 18 hatchlings to a perennial water body in a protected forest area and released them.
The baby cobras were placed in a plastic tub, which was placed on a large stone on the pond.
Eager to get away, a few snakes jumped into the water body and swam away only to return to the dry land after a while. Some of them could be seen enjoying their first contact with the cold water and taking leisurely sips.
Though excellent swimmers, cobras are terrestrial reptiles.
A few sloppy snakes had to be removed with a stick and set free.
Baby cobras can be kept together as they initially survive on the fat in their skin and do not eat for 7 to 8 days. It is only after they shed their first skin they start looking for food – frogs, insects, small rodents.
A few of the will themselves fall prey to predators such as mongoose, birds and monitors, said Mallik. “I hope that at least 50% of them will survive as this is a protected area," he added.
Snake Helpline, an animal welfare organisation in Bhubaneswar, India, had rescued a pregnant cobra from a construction site on April 27.
The mother cobra had been released in its natural habitat after it had laid 23 eggs.
“Eighteen of these eggs hatched on June 18 and 19 after an incubation period of 54 to 55 days. Five eggs were damaged by the extremely fluctuating weather conditions in Odisha,” said Subhendu Mallik, Secretary of Snake Helpline.
The members of Snake Helpline took the 18 hatchlings to a perennial water body in a protected forest area and released them.
The baby cobras were placed in a plastic tub, which was placed on a large stone on the pond.
Eager to get away, a few snakes jumped into the water body and swam away only to return to the dry land after a while. Some of them could be seen enjoying their first contact with the cold water and taking leisurely sips.
Though excellent swimmers, cobras are terrestrial reptiles.
A few sloppy snakes had to be removed with a stick and set free.
Baby cobras can be kept together as they initially survive on the fat in their skin and do not eat for 7 to 8 days. It is only after they shed their first skin they start looking for food – frogs, insects, small rodents.
A few of the will themselves fall prey to predators such as mongoose, birds and monitors, said Mallik. “I hope that at least 50% of them will survive as this is a protected area," he added.