VISAKHAPATNAM: The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department (Visakhapatnam Circle) in collaboration with the Eastern Ghats Wildlife Society (EGWS) and local communities, has successfully released 30 King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) hatchlings into the wild in the Eastern Ghats.
The hatchlings emerged from a nesting site located on community land in Gangavaram village. The site was protected with the cooperation of local residents and monitored for over a month by forest officials and EGWS members. The hatchlings were later released into forested areas of the Paderu Division, near Valabu village in Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district.
This initiative is the first community-based King Cobra nest protection effort in AP and is considered a model for collaborative wildlife conservation in the region. Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, responding to the achievement, stated: “This effort reflects the importance of community involvement in conservation. Collaboration between local residents, forest officials, and civil society organisations is essential for protecting species like the King Cobra.”
AK Naik, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force, noted that the initiative demonstrated the effectiveness of combining community participation with scientific approaches in protecting wildlife in human-influenced areas.
Chief Wildlife Warden SS Sridhar, highlighted the ecological significance of the species, adding that this effort showed conservation is feasible even in shared landscapes with community support.
The Eastern Ghats Wildlife Society, which facilitated community engagement and field implementation, acknowledged the leadership of the Forest Department and the cooperation of the villagers.
Following this success, the department is preparing a proposal to create a King Cobra Sanctuary over 2,400 hectares in the Sankaram Reserve Land (Kasipuram Beat, Jeenabadu Range, Paderu Division).
Once approved, it would be the first sanctuary specifically dedicated to the King Cobra globally.