KENDRAPARA:Around 200 pythons have laid eggs till now in the mangrove forests of Bhitarkanika National Park (BNP) in Kendrapara district which has been closed for tourists from May 1 to July 31 to facilitate breeding of snakes and crocodiles.
Forest Ranger of BNP Akshay Nayak on Saturday said a female python with its 40 eggs was recently rescued by forest staff from a cowshed in Dangamal village within the park. The python was later released in the forest, he said and added that many snakes prefer to lay eggs in the dense forest or houses with mud walls or BNP’s nearby areas.
The Forest Ranger said several snakes have laid eggs in the villages within BNP and it is not possible to count all the eggs. A female cobra lays between 20 and 40 eggs at a time and guards them till the hatchlings emerge after an incubation period of 60 to 85 days, he added.
“The Forest Department recently organised several awareness campaigns for the villagers, living in Bhitarkanika and its nearby areas, asking them not to kill any snake or destroy its eggs as they need to be protected and conserved,” he said and cautioned that disturbing the animal may also lead to snake bite.
Bhitarkanika is one of the few places in India having a good population of the highly poisonous King Cobra. It is home to around 2,000 King Cobras besides banded krait, common krait and bamboo snake. Non-poisonous snakes like Indian rock python, rat snake, water snake, common worm snake, blind snake, red sand boa snake, green whip snake, vine snake, painted bronzeback, common Indian bronzeback and tree snake are also found here. However, their number has dwindled over the years. Every year, feral dogs, wild boars, jackals, water-monitors and fishing cats devour snake eggs with only a few hatchlings able to survive.
An environmentalist of Kendrapara Amarbar Biswal said the reason behind the dwindling population of snake in BNP is denudation and encroachment of the mangrove forest by locals. “As there is a demand for snake hide in the market, some taxidermists in nexus with locals kill snakes. Besides, conversion of forest land into common homestead and agriculture land has affected the flora and fauna in Bhitarkanika,” he added.