After artificial incubation, 14 cobra eggs hatch in Kolhapur; snakelets released into natural habitat

Kolhapur: A cobra and its clutch of 14 eggs were found recently in agricultural land in Khupire village of Kolhapur district. The snake and eggs were safely retrieved through the collaborative efforts of snake rescuers and the Kolhapur forest department's rapid rescue team.Following 24 days of artificial incubation, all 14 eggs hatched successfully, producing healthy snakelets that were subsequently released into their natural environment under the forest department's supervision.On May 16, farmer Sandeep Chougule spotted a cobra while working his farm. He alerted snake rescuers Shoaib Bobde, Shweta Sutar, Vinayak Patil, and Eknath Chougule. Upon inspection of the site, they discovered the cobra alongside 14 eggs. The forest department was notified, leading to the arrival of wildlife rapid rescue team members Omkar Katkar and Kiran Kumbhar.Pradeep Sutar, the chief of the wildlife rapid rescue team of the Kolhapur forest department, said, "Since the place where the eggs were found was near a human settlement, the snake and its eggs were seized, and the cobra was immediately released into its natural habitat. It was decided that the eggs would be incubated artificially. Accordingly, with the help of animal lover Pappu Khot of Pattan Kodoli village, an artificial setup was created, and the eggs were kept for hatching under the supervision of the forest department. After a period of artificial incubation for 24 days, 14 healthy snakelets hatched from all 14 eggs."The dedicated care provided by forest staff and snake rescuers throughout the 24-day period ensured the health of the snakelets. "On Monday evening, these snakelets were released into their natural habitat," Pradeep Sutar added.The initiative was overseen by deputy conservator of forests G Guruprasad, assistant conservator of forests Kamlesh Patil, and range forest officer for Karvir Ramesh Kamble.