India News | King Cobra Dies at Van Vihar National Park in Bhopal

Bhopal, Jun 19 (PTI) A male king cobra has died at the Van Vihar National Park in Bhopal, two months after being brought from a wildlife facility in Mangaluru, an official said on Thursday.

The activity of the nearly 5-year-old king cobra, named 'Nagarjuna', was found to be normal till Tuesday evening, according to a veterinarian at the facility.

Also Read | 'Metro... In Dino': Neena Gupta Surprised by Her Bigger-Than-Expected Role in Her Upcoming Film, Calls Director Anurag Basu an Instinctive Genius.

On Wednesday morning, when the CCTV camera captured the snake showing no movement, the caretakers entered its enclosure. During the examination, the serpent was found dead, an official from the national park said.

The autopsy will be conducted by a team of veterinarians to ascertain the cause of death, the official said.

Also Read | Bodoland Lottery Result Today, June 19, 2025: Assam State Lottery Sambad Thursday Lucky Draw Results Declared, Check Winners List With Ticket Numbers.

Nagarjuna and another 8-year-old male king cobra Nagashayna were brought to the Van Vihar National Park from Pilikula Biological Park in Karnataka's Mangaluru on April 6 this year.

After being brought here, the two reptiles were being monitored round-the-clock, as per officials.

The Van Vihar's wildlife medical officer was in constant touch with the Mangaluru-based facility's veterinary expert regarding the activity of the two snakes, they added.

The king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake and grows as much as 18 feet long. It is considered one of the most intelligent snake species, as it changes its hunting strategy according to circumstances. King cobras are beneficial for biodiversity and ecosystem and are called friends of farmers as they eat rodents, an official earlier said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)