The word biodiversity always reminds me of my former abode near the temple pond. A tree had conquered the open terrace and even touched the window of my study room upstairs. I had placed my computer against the window and upon opening the window, I could see warblers, sunbirds and jungle babblers come and perch on its branches.
Sunbirds and warblers used to come even into the room through the window in search of spiders. Their chirping was indeed real music. Birds help us to have a glimpse of heaven on earth. A world sans birds and their music will be more horrid than hell itself, if the place called hell actually exists.
The home was so environment-friendly that there was always the presence of plenty of birds in the compound filled with trees and plants. But I never suspected that cobras and palm civets also inhabited the compound.
One day, at midnight, I woke up suddenly after hearing a powerful hissing sound. The sound was coming from the backyard. Flicking on the master switch, I looked out through the window and was surprised to see a large cobra with its hood fully spread hissing at a civet that was trying to attack it. The cobra was afraid of the civet; it was on the defensive and never tried to be offensive. The civet was not a fully grown one; after some time the young civet learnt that the big cobra could not be overpowered by it and gave up. And the cobra fled for its life.
One or two days later I heard the hissing sound again at midnight and looking out I saw the hooded cobra hissing at two civets. This time, the young civet had an adult with it. Being reckless and a daredevil, the young one went near the snake and the moment the cobra tried to bite it, the adult civet, with lightning speed, caught hold of the hood of the snake with its strong jaws and it was killed and dragged away.
It was for the first time that I saw the civets’ method of hunting snakes and I was happy to see that such animals lived around the home where I lived. It is heartening that these creatures survive around us despite the devastation of nature by humans.
SUKUMARAN C V
Email: lscvsuku@gmail.com