For first time, King Cobra sighted near Kolar forest
India: For the first time, the world’s longest venomous snake-King Cobra- has been sighted in Himachal Pradesh thanks to a local resident.
The video of the snake was recorded by one Praveen Singh and was widely shared on social media. The man posted the video on Twitter and tagged Indian Forest Service officer Parveen Kaswan to seek help for identifying the reptile.
Singh was alerted by his pet dog about the presence of the snake and he went ahead to film the reptile coming out from a deep rock hole. Little did Singh know that it would be the first sighting of King Cobra in Himachal Pradesh.
The reptile was reportedly spotted near Girinagar adjoining Kolar forest in Sirmour district of Himachal Pradesh last week, according to a report in Indian Express. Singh also shared the snake recording with Paonta Sahib wildlife department in Sirmour district. The deadly snake usually feeds on other snakes and other vertebrates like rodents and lizards.
Meanwhile, state wildlife officials have confirmed the documented sighting. District Forest Officer (DFO) Kunal Angrish visited the spot with his team and found traces of the reptile.
“We checked our records and found that a King Cobra had never been sighted in Himachal Pradesh earlier. It is for the first time that this snake has been was spotted in Shiwalik Hills of Himachal. Earlier, its presence in the nearby hilly state of Uttarakhand had been recorded. The sighting in Himachal Pradesh now is a very significant thing for us,” the report quoted Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF), Himachal, Archana Sharma, as saying.
