Panaji: For more than a decade, king cobras have been spotted venturing into areas near human settlements, mostly during summer. However, this year, two such incidents have been reported as the monsoon began to retreat.During Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, residents of Masorde near Valpoi town spotted a king cobra in Mhadei river, close to human settlements. They alerted snake rescuers, but by the time they reached the spot, the snake had disappeared into crevices.Recently, villagers in Pali near Dongurli in Sattari found a king cobra in a coconut plantation. Snake rescuers attached to the forest department rushed to the spot. Rescuer Vinod Sawant caught the snake with the help of Vishant Gaonkar and later released it into its natural habitat.Pradeep Gawandalkar, a wildlifer from Valpoi, said the two incidents of king cobras being found near human settlements indicate how heat and humidity are affecting the largest venomous snakes, bringing them closer to freshwater sources.“Over the last decade, we have rescued king cobras in the summer season, mostly in cashew plantations, in search of rat snakes that generally relish rodents. However, this time, they are seen immediately when the monsoon is in retreat. Changing climatic conditions are badly affecting their behaviour patterns, which is a worrying fact,” he said.
