Pilikula successfully breeds King Cobras in captivity

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, August 1, 2011: Pilikula Nisargadhama has succeeded in its project of breeding the King Cobra or Ophiophagus Hannah, the world’s largest venomous snake, in captivity, the first project of its kind in the world. Thirty-two of the 147 eggs laid by serpents Rani, Nagamani, and Nagaveni have hatched at the park.

The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) permitted Pilikula Nisargadhama in Nov 2007 to breed the King Cobra in captivity, but the project moved at a rather slow pace for the first two years. In 2009, the CZA released funds for the construction of a spacious breeding centre for the King Cobra in the premises of the park. The authorities selected four pairs for mating while the other six King Cobras, including five males were kept in a glass enclosure in the snake house for public viewing.

 

The authorities had carefully watched over the eggs for 134 days, and late on Sunday, the eggs started hatching. The King Cobra pairs had mated and the females had laid eggs during the 52-day gestation period, after which the eggs had undergone an incubation period for 82 days. Speaking on the project, Pilikula Nisargadhama Park Director Jayaprakash Bhandary said that the entire project has been documented well and will provide a scientific insight into the reproduction cycle of the King Cobra.

Speaking about the large body of online literature regarding the reproductive cycle of King Cobras, Bhandary calls it guess work. He said that the captive breeding project can be called successful because four of the five pairs actually mated and 3 of the females laid eggs. The young ones were 17 inches at birth and had enough poison to kill two adult human beings in just half an hour.

Revealing further information regarding King Cobras, he said that these creatures usually breed in the wild, but this is the first known instance of them breeding in captivity. Since the King Cobras are micro chipped, the chances of the siblings breeding among themselves will be minimized. The young ones will be fed by hand for 3 years, after which the park will keep some of them and will release the rest into the wild.

He also said that the project was successful because of the dedication of Vikram Lobo, the scientific officer; Roshan Menezes, the assistant curator; K. Dinesh and Ashok, the caretakers; and J. R. Lobo, the executive director of the park.