The residents of Heggarani in Sirsi, Uttara Karnataka district, encountered an alarming situation when a massive 14-foot king cobra was spotted in a nut plantation. The locals were startled by the sound of its movements. A rattlesnake, having entered the nut plantation in Heggarani near Sirsi, had moulted its skin and coiled around a tree, posing a potential threat to anyone in the vicinity.
Sirsi’s veterinarian and animal rescuer, Prashant Hulekal, attempted to rescue Kalinga, the king cobra, perched on a tree. Initially, he climbed the tree to catch the snake, but the distance proved challenging. In a decisive move, the tree was cut when the snake, frightened and on the verge of attacking, fell along with it. The rescue was successful in securing the snake.
Prashant Hulekal faced imminent danger as the 14-foot-long Kalinga made attempts to attack him two or three times. Despite the risks, Prashant valiantly saved the snake’s life without causing harm. He carefully captured the snake in a sack and released it into the forest, ensuring its safety.
In October of last year, a king cobra, the world’s largest venomous snake, was discovered in Mathwada, Keri, situated in the foothills of the Western Ghats. Residents who spotted the snake sought assistance from Viraj Naik, a local snake rescuer. Unable to handle the situation alone, Naik called in Amrut Singh of Animal Rescue and his team of volunteers as the snake had climbed a 14-meter-tall teak tree. It took the team nearly two hours to capture the 10-foot-long snake. The incident highlights the growing conflict between humans and wild animals, deepened by habitat destruction from deforestation and expanding horticulture.
Amrut Singh emphasised the king cobra’s adaptability but noted that habitat threats are pushing the snake into human settlements. Highlighting the danger, Singh mentioned that the cobra’s venom can be lethal within minutes. Over the past decade, Singh and fellow snake rescuers in Sattari have successfully rescued more than five dozen king cobras, underscoring the increasing frequency of human-wildlife encounters in the region.
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