The students of the Centre for Wildlife Studies under the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU) here got a very rare chance to observe the hatching of a clutch of eggs of the Indian Spectacled Cobra (Naja naja).
Ahammed Basheer, a snake catcher of the Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department, got 27 eggs from Vaduvanchal in the district when he had been called to catch a cobra from a house nearly two weeks ago. He released the mother cobra which had been guarding the eggs in a nearby forest and took the eggs to the centre.
The students incubated the eggs in a dedicated terrarium where the temperature and humidity were monitored with great care. The eggs started hatching two days ago and by Tuesday evening all offspring were out. “This was an extremely rare opportunity for the students to learn about caring for abandoned reptile eggs and helping them hatch,” Dr. George Chandy, Course Director, MS (Wildlife Studies), KVASU, told The Hindu .
“We were able to practice the techniques that we had learned in our wildlife care and management classes and actually see them work before our eyes. This is an unforgettable experience,” said Anuraj R. Kaimal, a second-semester student of MS (Wildlife Studies).
“I have been associating with the wildlife rescue activities of Basheer since my days as a student of KVASU Centre for Wildlife Studies. The practical experiences that I have gained during my association with these activities help me tremendously as I plan my career ahead in wildlife conservation,” R. Roshnath, a first batch MS (Wildlife Studies) student, said.
“I have rescued 26 king cobras and many venomous snakes from various parts of the State. But this is the first time that I got an opportunity to rescue and hatch cobra eggs artificially with the support of the Centre for Wildlife Studies. Otherwise the eggs would have been destroyed,” said Ahamed Basheer. The baby cobras would be released into the deep forest reserve later. The KVASU Centre for Wildlife Studies was gearing up to develop its rescue and rehabilitation facilities further to help orphaned, sick and injured wildlife brought by the Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department, Dr. Chandy said.
