King Cobra dies at Van Vihar National Park in Bhopal

Bhopal, Jun 19 (PTI) A male king cobra has died at the Van Vihar National Park in Bhopal, two months after being brought from a wildlife facility in Mangaluru, an official said on Thursday.

The activity of the nearly 5-year-old king cobra, named 'Nagarjuna', was found to be normal till Tuesday evening, according to a veterinarian at the facility.

On Wednesday morning, when the CCTV camera captured the snake showing no movement, the caretakers entered its enclosure. During the examination, the serpent was found dead, an official from the national park said.

The autopsy will be conducted by a team of veterinarians to ascertain the cause of death, the official said.

Nagarjuna and another 8-year-old male king cobra Nagashayna were brought to the Van Vihar National Park from Pilikula Biological Park in Karnataka's Mangaluru on April 6 this year.

After being brought here, the two reptiles were being monitored round-the-clock, as per officials.

The Van Vihar's wildlife medical officer was in constant touch with the Mangaluru-based facility's veterinary expert regarding the activity of the two snakes, they added.

The king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake and grows as much as 18 feet long.

It is considered one of the most intelligent snake species, as it changes its hunting strategy according to circumstances.

King cobras are beneficial for biodiversity and ecosystem and are called friends of farmers as they eat rodents, an official earlier said. PTI MAS GK