Fifty years ago | The King comes to the park
This 1974 archival report details the arrival of a King Cobra at the Madras Snake Park. It discusses the challenges of keeping the species in captivity and provides biological facts about the snake's habitat and behavior.
Why it matters
It serves as a historical record of wildlife conservation efforts and public education initiatives in India during the 1970s.
Madras, July 28: The Madras Snake Park, Guindy, has a new addition — a King Cobra. It was caught in the North Andamans rain forest on June 15 by Mr. Romulus Whitaker, Honorary Director of the Park. Since coming to Madras on July 1, it has been housed in a special enclosure, where its natural habitat is simulated.
A King Cobra brought to the Snake Park from Thailand died after seven months. Another from Karnataka also did not survive for long. Hence efforts are being made to air condition the enclosure. Visitors can see it moving in the cooler hours of the day.
According to Mr. Whitaker, the King Cobra is found only in certain rain forests and in extreme estuarine mangrove swarms of the Sunderbans (Bengal), the Bhitarkanika sanctuary on the Orissa coast, and the Western Ghats.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in