Banded and Branded

We were busy looking for Treepies and Trogons when the call came. A King Cobra had been sighted in a farm and the residents of a nearby house wanted it to be relocated to the forest. The ARRS team was off to rescue and release the King. Did we want to go along and watch? Yes, we said. A huge YES.

Belagundi is a quaint, pretty village a little away from Bidri, about 25kms from Agumbe. As we drove down the ghats, we saw Prashant, Ajay and Dheeraj stop to pick up a semi-dead Ornate Flying Snake from the road. It was a heart-rending sight to watch the tiny, beautiful snake wriggling on the road. Its slender body had been crushed by a vehicle. We drove on, the Seetanadi river flowing along the road, lush green forests and areca plantations dotted the landscape. At Belagundi, we got off the vehicle and walked into a field, a small group of 10 odd people had gathered there, mostly local residents and some workers of the farm. They led us to a tiny stream by the edge of the farm and pointed at the location where the King had been resting the last two days, but now, only the tip of the tail was visible, the King had moved into some shrubs by the stream.

As the ARRS team moved around, to get a better view of the King, it struck me that these people had waited two full days to call and ask for help after they spotted the King. There was a house about 50 metres away from where the King had been spotted, there were children in that house. Yet, they waited, patiently, without disturbing their guest. Moreover, everyone there was concerned that the King could be injured as they didn't see it move around at all. Prashant explained that it is a possibility, or, it might be resting after a heavy meal - a big rat snake maybe? They would be able to confirm only after they see the King in its entirety. The concern they had for the King's well-being was touching. My heart swells with pride when I think of how tolerant and respectful these folks were about wildlife. 

The King Cobra is worshipped in these parts, these people revere the snake. They will cause no harm to the longest, most venomous snake in the world.

Once they were able to locate the exact position of the King, they got to work. First, they cleared up the area where they would eventually bring the King out of the shrubs, so that they don't have any obstructions. All tiny bushes were removed, working space had been created. The team advised everyone watching to maintain a safe distance, not move around and maintain silence. While one person kept a constant watch on the head of the King, another held the tail and with a mild jerk, prodded the snake to move.

The King moved and we could now see more of its body, but no one had a clue of the actual length and size yet. More nudging, coaxing, pulling and the King was finally out. I gasped aloud, but I wasn't alone - a collective gasp from the crowd greeted an irritated King. A glinting blackest-black body with golden-bronze bands and a rich yellow underbelly, the 10 foot long juvenile male was a stunner, albeit in a compromised position at that moment.

He constantly flicked his tongue and moved around, clearly trying to find a way out of this ugly situation. Accuse me of being anthropomorphic, but who wouldn't get intimidated, scared and angry if they were being taken captive? Prashant held on to the tail, a tight grip and his attention was entirely on the movements of the snake. Dheeraj tried to cover the head of the snake with a bag that had an opening like a net, so that the snake would be forced to slither in and could be captured.

The first couple of attempts to get the King in the bag didn't work and that's when he started showing signs of agitation. He raised his hood and that magnificient pose is something I will remember all my life. The crowd watching this capture was enveloped in silence, no one moved, all the murmuring died down.

And then it happened, the King bared his fangs.

A sight that filled me with amazement, fear, respect, worry - all at once. Amazement, because I've always associated sights like these with Austin Steven's documentaries. Fear, well, the image explains it all. The King would not give up and go down, he would fight his way through this, Respect. Once released, would it find a safe spot away from human intervention? Would it be able to survive on its own in a new place? Worry.

Prashant and Dheeraj were finally able to coax the King into the bag. Once the snake was in, a knot was secured, ready to be relocated. They worked together as a team with superb precision and composure.

The King was then weighed and he turned out to be 8.9 kilograms. We all headed back towards the nearby forest patch, adjoining the Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary. After ensuring that the habitat was perfect for the King Cobra and that it was a safe distance away from any human intervention, the snake was released in the forest.

A relatively simpler task now - the knot was removed, some coaxing and the King headed out of the bag into its new home, or maybe it was the same old home, we will never know.

Once he was out of the bag, he moved away, graciously, down the forest path and into the leaf litter far away from us.

The entire rescue-release operation was carried out very professionally by the ARRS team. They were meticulous and followed all procedures to the last detail. Prashant said this was one of their simpler, easier rescues. Now, try and imagine a King being rescued from a well, or from a house. Goosechills. 

The love-hate relationship between humans and snakes is something we all see everyday around us. A Rat Snake in the local park gets mistaken for a venomous snake and is beaten up by an angry mob. An Indian Cobra that wanders into a township meets the same fate. Russel's Vipers get crushed under wheels all the time. Snakes are seen as bad and dangerous creatures, as villians. For most people, the first instinct upon seeing a snake is 'kill it'. Ironically, snakes are worshiped by almost all communities through the length and the breadth of the country. Yet, when the same people encounter a live one, things change drastically. Numerous and varied religious superstitions - mostly negative ones - about snakes definitely don't help the situation. 

On many occasions, people take the help of trained/experienced snake rescuers, who capture these snakes and release them in nearby jungles. The snakes live to see another day, but it is impossible to say that these relocated snakes survive. In a new, unknown location, with no idea of what kind of prey is available, disoriented, many snakes perish. If they do manage to find food, they need to deal with other resident snakes, who may not be too kind to their new visitor. So, the snakes are at the receiving end, always.

We can only hope that with more awareness, humans will start treating snakes with the respect they deserve and will let them live. We need these beautiful creatures, the ecosystem needs them, to maintain a balance. They don't need us.

P.S. Thanks Arati Rao for the title!

** I own the copyright to all the images in this post. Please do not re-use any of these images without my permission.

The King And I

I wrote this as a guest post for Prashanth's blog Payaniga upon its five year completion. It then appeared in the Clay blog too. Now, its here. 


My first memory of Agumbe is from a school trip to the Western Ghats. I was in class 8 and the famous Agumbe sunset was to be the highlight of the trip. Heavy rains and a landslide played spoilsport that year and Agumbe was moved to the ‘visit someday’ list. 15 years later, my wish came true. Dilan Mandanna, popularly known as Mandy, was going to organise a two day trip, with accommodation arrangements at the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station (ARRS). I simply had to sign up. I could finally put my newly acquired macro lens to some good use. After a successful leopard-tiger-elephant-hornbill-falcon sighting in Kabini the same week, I was looking to achieve nirvana with a sighting of the King.

Agumbe is a beautiful little village that sits on a plateau on top of the Someshwara Ghat, 643 meters above sea level. Surrounded by luscious green rainforests, it is known as ‘Cherrapunji of the South’ for a reason, it gets an annual rainfall of up to 11,000 mm. Agumbe is home to all the Western Ghats rainforest species of trees, mammals, birds, insects, frogs and snakes. However, the regal King Cobra, the world’s longest venomous snake is the King of the jungle in these parts.

A mad dash across the Majestic bus stand and a rickety 10 hour bus drive took me to a very rainy and wet Agumbe early in the morning. It had rained there all night. Aching muscles were forgotten the second Mandy announced that he had seen a male King the previous evening and was quite sure we’d be able to see him again. After dumping our bags and donning leech socks, we headed out to find the King.

His Highness was resting there, by the side of the forest path, right outside the bushes - 10 feet long, a rich brown, his scales glistening with raindrops, body all curved up as if to camouflage the inimitable length. He had devoured a heavy meal the previous evening and didn’t seem too keen to move, he just kept a watchful eye on us. In all my imagination, I had envisioned the King to be a spectacular snake, but nothing could have prepared me for this sighting. Goose bumps. Breathlessness. Loss of speech. Fear. Respect. I felt a mix of everything. I just stood there, gaping, with my mouth open. The beauty of the King is incomparable. The sound of a camera shutter next to me brought me back to reality, I had a camera in my hand to make an attempt to freeze this moment. Photographing the King is humbling, you are fully aware that you can do no justice in saving that intimidating stare for posterity, yet, you just go click-click-click.

The King Cobra has a striking distance of 2 m, around 7 feet, they are fast and agile. When threatened, the King raises its upper portion of the body, around 4-5 feet, so it basically looks at you straight in the eye and gives out a hiss that’s almost a growl, before doing its business. But, the King doesn’t like to bite. As much as possible, they avoid confrontation, they bite only when cornered or provoked. Before I forget, there is no antidote to a King Cobra bite.

ARRS was set up by Romulus Whitaker and has been operational since 2005. Many herpetologists, conservationists and researchers work on their projects based out of this research station. ARRS helps out in King Cobra rescues around the region. Though King Cobras are revered, they’re prone to some harm from humans when they venture into human settlements. Among many other projects, the King Cobra Radio Telemetry Project is currently operational here. With the help of telemetry, the researchers study snake movements. They record daily and seasonal activity patterns of King Cobras which helps in understanding their behaviour and eventually, in conserving this flagship species. The ARRS has a common dining area and common bathrooms. Serve your own food, wash your plates, don’t leave behind any plastic and give the staff their space to work is the way of life if you are a visitor.

It kept raining the entire day and we headed out to look for the King’s courtiers. A Green Vine Snake clung to a twig, completely camouflaged. Our presence brought out the black and white under its scales, a sign of aggravation.

A Malabar Pit Viper sat pretty in the bamboo, only a watchful eye can spot it, the shiny yellow scales give it away. It curls up into an S shape, defensive, its striking position.

A few steps ahead, an incredibly cute baby Nilgiri Keelback (Beddome’s Keelback) greeted us.

At every step we met wondrous new creatures - frogs, caterpillars, dragonflies, damselflies, butterflies.

caterpillar of a moth belonging to the Limacodidae or Euclidae family

The flora and fauna is so rich that you can spend an entire day photographing things at a single spot and you would still not be done with it.

A Malabar Trogon called for its partner, Yellow Browed Bulbuls zipped past our head. A Paris Peacock skimmed along, a Red Helen followed course. A Malabar Giant Squirrel dropped half eaten figs on our heads. A Crested Serpent Eagle called, gliding high up in the sky. I was in paradise.

Red Helens

Red Pierrot

White Bellied Treepies called out to us, so did Malabar Grey Hornbills. We went crawling across a huge field to shoot Malabar Larks and they took off before we got our best shots.

One evening, we made a trip to the Jogi Gundi falls. We walked under trees that made us feel like we are a few cms long, climbed over fallen trees, stepped over rocks, slipped down some leaf litter and reached a lovely waterfall with creamy white water gushing down the rocks. 

Green colored moss-laden rocks, wild orchids, lizards and frogs added to the beauty of the scene.

Micrixalus saxicola

And leeches. They were everywhere, crawling up our leech socks till we flicked them away, on our bags, cameras, there’s no getting away from them. The only way to not let them bother you is by not paying them any attention, alas, I am yet to reach that stage. I’ve had my share of experiences with leeches in Valparai, but the sheer number of leeches here was distracting. Much to the amusement of everybody in the group, a leech made its way to my camera neck-tag and then on to my cheek and gave me a peck before I managed to flick it away. As morbid as it sounds, yes, I’ve been kissed by a leech!

It was a cloudy, rainy day and we didn’t expect to see the Sun set, but we still went along to the sunset point to check out the view. As expected, the clouds had taken over the valley and every time they drifted apart, I tried to get a couple of images. Finally, the shy Sun made a brief appearance before the clouds took over completely.

If you are staying at the ARRS, a night walk is a must. Agumbe is an entirely different person at night. It gets insanely dark and all kinds of creatures are up and about. Armed with torches, we set out to look for snakes, scorpions, tarantulas and frogs. One of the first things we heard was a female Sri Lanka Frogmouth calling and we followed its call for quite some time before we spotted the elusive beauty. Mandy told us that no Frogmouth images had ever been made in Agumbe, our records of the sighting would be the first.

Typical to rainforests, you can find exotic fungi at every step.

A vine snake was hanging around the evening before we left, it bid us adieu.

It was pack-up time already. We drove past ‘Dodda Mane’, Malgudi Days was filmed here and the ancient bungalow was the home of the endearing little Swami. On the way back to the ugly urban jungle, I promised myself that I would return to Agumbe, for a longer trip, knowing that no amount of time spent here can be enough. 

Until then and forever, there’s one image that will remain etched in my mind from this wonderful trip. 


The King’s stare.

** Please do not re-use any of these images without my permission.