Reptiles begin laying eggs at Bhitarkanika

Nests of King Cobras have been spotted at Bhitarkanika national park here and the venomous snakes have begun laying eggs around the swampy mangrove wetland sites of the sanctuary.
Forest personnel on field duty have spotted nests of reptiles, including King Cobras and Pythons in the area. Mother snakes are seen maintaining constant watch on the nests.
Hundreds of nests have been found scattered along the 145 square kilometre stretch of the national park, Divisional Forest Officer, Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife) Forest Division, Bimal Prasana Acharya, said.
"As per our estimate, over 500 Pythons and King Cobras have laid eggs in the forest recently. Last week, a Python was rescued with her 40 eggs from the cowshed of a villager in Dangamal village within the national park", he said.

"We later released it in the forest. During the hatching period, the mother Python does not take food and keeps on guarding. Snakes also guard their nests and eggs fiercely," said the DFO.
A female Cobra usually lays anything between 20 to 40 eggs and remains with her eggs till the entire period of incubation which is roughly about 60 to 85 days.

While the female Cobra is so protective of her eggs, she will leave the nest as or just before the eggs hatch leaving the young hatchlings to fend for themselves, the forest officer said.
"Many snakes laid eggs in the nearby villages for which we convinced the villagers not to kill them or destroy their eggs. After two months, hatchlings would emerge from the eggs.

Each year feral dogs, wild boars, jackals, water-monitors and fishing cats devour large numbers of eggs of the snakes. Snakes guard the eggs near the nests for which the reptiles bite any person or animal who disturb snakes during breeding season", he said.
The forest officials have imposed prohibition on entry into the forest from May 1 to July 31 during the mating and breeding of snakes and crocodiles in the forest, the forest official said.