Wildlife officials operate on 11ft King cobra in Bhopal
By ANITuesday, February 23, 2010
BHOPAL - In a unique attempt, wildlife officials in Madhya Pradesh operated on a King Cobra, seized from a snake charmer, to resurrect its damaged fangs.
Officials of the Van Vihar national park in Bhopal operated on the 11-feet long cobra after they found that the reptile was not able to eat due to an infection in its mouth.
“It is the first time that we are operating on a King cobra and we never had a cobra. The treatment was essential as the veins connecting the poison glands were damaged. The snake has not eaten anything for many days,” said A.K. Khare, Deputy Director, Van Vihar national park on Monday.
The cobra was administered anti-biotic medicines and was doing fine after the operation, officials said.
King cobra can be identified from other cobras by its size and the pattern on its neck. Its diet consists primarily of other snakes. The venom of the King Cobra is primarily neuro-toxic, and the snake is capable of killing a human with a single bite. By Ram Chand Sahu (ANI)
