Chennai, Aug. 31:
Forest department personnel rescued 19 Indian cobra hatchlings from beneath the concrete flooring of an unused portion of a residential property near Ethiraj College in Egmore on Sunday, after the homeowner spotted suspicious eggs.
The homeowner noticed the eggs in the rear portion of the premises and alerted the Forest Department. Personnel from the Guindy Forest Department’s anti-poaching team inspected the spot and confirmed that they were cobra eggs.
During a detailed inspection, officials discovered 39 cobra eggs buried beneath the ground. All the eggs appeared to have hatched only a day or two earlier, raising the possibility that the hatchlings were still hiding underneath the concrete structure.
Forest personnel then began breaking open portions of the concrete and searching the area. The operation continued for nearly four hours, during which 19 tiny cobra hatchlings were located and safely rescued.
As darkness set in, the search for the remaining hatchlings had to be temporarily suspended. The rescued snakes were subsequently taken to a forest area in Chengalpattu and released safely.
Officials are now concerned that 20 more hatchlings could still be present beneath the same house or in other unused portions of the property. A further search operation is expected to be carried out by forest personnel.
Interestingly, officials had rescued a large female cobra from the same residence around 10 days ago. They believe the 39 hatchlings are likely to be from the same snake.
The discovery has left residents shocked, particularly because the snakes had apparently been living and hatching beneath the property without being noticed. Forest officials are continuing efforts to locate the remaining hatchlings and ensure that they are safely removed from the residential premises.