What’s that Hissing Sound? 1-year-old Spectacled Cobra caught at ‘Dias Villa’-Lady Hill in City
Mangaluru: There was a stranger in the compound of Dias Family at ‘Dias Villa’in Lady Hill, Mangaluru around 1.30 pm on Friday, 10 January 2020. And this stranger was making hissing sound, which made a bunch of cats in that house trying to chase it-but luckily the stranger didn’t harm the cats. And this stranger was none other than ‘NAJA NAJA’ aka ‘Nagara Havu’ aka Indian Cobra! One lady member of the house noticing this Cobra sitting near the Sintex water tank, while she was feeding the cats, quickly called Tauseef, a volunteer at Animal Care Trust. “Indeed I was lucky that the cobra didn’t sting me, because it has got venom to kill at least 15 people at a time, if it thinks it’s going to be attacked” said the homemaker to Team Mangaloraen
As per the lady, Tauseef came to her house within few minutes after the call, and safely rescued the cobra in to a candy/toffee plastic container, made a few holes in the plastic container so that there could be some air for the cobra to breathe. The Cobra was professionally caught by Tauseef, by placing the container up side down over the cobra, and once it entered the container, the lid was closed. It is learnt that the Cobra was later taken in released in the wild, where there is lots of greenery and plants.
She further said, “It was kind of entertainment for the school kids from the neighbouring school, who were waiting for the bus and out of curiosity stopped by to witness the incident. Tauseef educated the kids on how to handle and what to do when they see a poisonous snake. In the meantime, one school boy said to me twice ” Madam, you seem to be a nice person and I asked him, why? He said the snake did nothing to you, since it knew that you wouldn’t harm it. I told him we need to be kind to animals and birds. Feed stray dogs , cats , birds and squirrels etc.- and that’s what I have been doing daily. Also Tauseef is kind to stray animals, and has been rescuing so many snakes and other reptiles and releasing them in the wild. He also rescues dogs and animals too. The school kids were amazed, and promised to take care of stray animals”.
ABOUT INDIAN COBRA ‘NAJA NAJA’ :
The Indian cobra (Naja naja), also known as the spectacled cobra, Asian cobra, is a species of the genus Naja found, in India , Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan, and a member of the “big four” species that inflict the most snakebites on humans in India. It is distinct from the king cobra, and it is revered in Indian mythology and culture, and is often seen with snake charmers. It is now protected in India under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act (1972).A consortium of scientists, including some from India, have mapped the genome of the Indian Cobra, among the most poisonous snakes in the country. Every year, approximately five million people worldwide are bitten by venomous snakes resulting in about 400,000 amputations and more than 100,000 deaths. Each year, about 46,000 people die and 140,000 people are disabled in India from snakebites by the ‘Big 4’ — the Indian cobra, the common krait, Russell’s viper, and the saw-scaled viper.
The Indian cobra’s venom mainly contains a powerful post-synaptic neurotoxin and cardiotoxin. The venom acts on the synaptic gaps of the nerves, thereby paralyzing muscles, and in severe bites leading to respiratory failure or cardiac arrest. The venom components include enzymes such as hyaluronidase that cause lysis and increase the spread of the venom. Envenomation symptoms may manifest between 15 minutes and 2 hours following the bite. The venom of young cobras has been used as a substance of abuse in India, with cases of snake charmers being paid for providing bites from their snakes. Though this practice is now seen as outdated, symptoms of such abuse include loss of consciousness, euphoria, and sedation.
The Indian cobra is greatly respected and feared, and even has its own place in Hindu mythology as a powerful deity. The Hindu god Shiva is often depicted with a cobra called Vasuki, coiled around his neck, symbolizing his mastery over “maya” or the world-illusion. Vishnu is usually portrayed as reclining on the coiled body of Adishesha, the Preeminent Serpent, a giant snake deity with multiple cobra heads. Cobras are also worshiped during the Hindu festival of Nag Panchami and Naagula Chavithi.
