MADIKERI:

When you spot a king cobra, no matter how petrfied you are, stay put. Don’t run for cover, is herpetologist Snake Satish’s advice.

The king cobra, he says, is a shy creature. “When we walk in the forests, the reptile catches the earth’s vibration and moves away from it,” he explains. Satish works as a warden and estate manager in Coorg Public School, Gonikoppal

Popularly known as Snake Satish, he has captured 42 king cobras in the past eight years in Kodagu. Most of them have been freed into the forests. The snakes have been caught from houses and estates. Most of his catches were from Karike, Padi, Perambadi Cherambane, Heggala, Shanthalli and Kundalli areas.

King cobras are shot dead out of sheer fear. “There has been no incident of death due to a king cobra bite in Kodagu, Satish says. Though they are aplenty in Kodagu, the shy and slithery creatures are rarely sighted. They are active in August and September. One among the most venomous snakes in the world, the king cobra feeds on members of its own ilk and other little snakes. It is the only snake to build its own nest.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / by G Rajendra / TNN / Jul 07th, 2011