EXPRESS INDIA (New Delhi) 13 April 07 King cobra rescued

Pune: Two snake lovers from Pune, Ram Bhutkar and Subhash Ghule, recently rescued a 12 feet long king cobra illegally restrained at Solapur allegedly by a Naga hermit. The rescue took place at Degaon village on the outskirts of Solapur town with the help of forest department officials.

The king cobra was kept in a four feet long, four feet wide and six feet deep cement tank, the top of which was covered with an iron cage. The reptile is presently in the custody of the forest department officials in Solapur.

Bhutkar said he had received tip off from a Solapur-based snake lover Ashfaq Gafur Muchhale. “Initially I was doubtful as king cobras are not found in western Maharashtra and normally being poisonous they are not caged by amateurs. However, when I went to Degaon with Ghule, I found that it was indeed a king cobra. We immediately contacted the forest department officials who rushed to the spot and took the snake in their custody. Later, a case under Wildlife Protection Act was filed against the hermit, Mohannath Aghori alias Kasture,” he said.

Bhutkar said Kasture, during questioning by forest department officials, claimed that he had brought the snake to Solapur from Karnataka.
King cobra rescued

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