Crowd gather to see Trikal Chakraborty rescue King Cobra, 2-hour long operation in Cachar's Darmi Bazar
A 9.5-foot-long king cobra was rescued in a gutsy operation by wildlife conservation Trikal Chakraborty and the Barak Valley Wildlife Division team. Renowned for his fearless and calm rescue techniques, Trikal Chakraborty reduced “the king” from the store room of a medical hall in Darmi Bazar, Amraghat Road in Cachar. Later the huge reptile was released in a dense forest, its natural habitat. People gathered in numbers to witness the operation and the daring of the rescue team.
King Cobra is placed under the “vulnerable” status on the Red List of Threatened Species in The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In India, it is placed under Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Killing a king cobra is punished with imprisonment of up to six years. This is an awareness that Trikal Chakraborty and his peers have promoted successfully.
In a telephonic conversation, Trikal Chakraborty on his latest rescue operation said, “The locals there sent me the photo of the snake that was stuck inside the medical hall. It was a king cobra. I was on my way to reach there, but I have never been to the area and it was difficult to locate. Some 30 km from Silchar, after driving in rain and thunderstorms, we reached there. When I and the Barak Valley Wildlife Division team reached there, we saw a huge crowd of more than 600 people. They were cheering for us”.
More than the risk of being attacked by the snake, it was difficult to manage the crowd there. After securing the parameter by the Forest Division officials, the team got into action. Chakraborty further said, “The local police also had to come to manage the crowd and prevent any mishap. After two long hours of trying, I could get a hold of the snake. When I pulled the snake out from the store room, it saw the huge crowd and got aggressive. Luckily, I had more manpower that day and after trying for long, it was placed inside a secured, breathable bag”.
Finally, after all the King Cobra was released back to its natural habitat and without any resistance, the reptile slithered away into the forest. The team had also sensitised the locals on king cobra and other such reptiles. The otherwise calm snake will attack only if disturbed and the venom of this king can even kill an elephant.
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