King Cobra
Context
- King Cobra spotted in Tillari Reserve.
About King cobra
- It is the world’s longest venomous snake.
- It is a large elapid endemic to forests from India through Southeast Asia.
- It preys chiefly on other snakes and occasionally on some other vertebrates, such as lizards and rodents.
- It is a highly venomous and dangerous snake when agitated or provoked that has a fearsome reputation in its range, although it is typically shy and avoids confrontation with humans when possible.
- The king cobra is a prominent symbol in the mythology and folk traditions of India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
- It is the national reptile of India.
- It is threatened by habitat destruction and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 2010.
- In Southeast Asia, the king cobra is threatened foremost by habitat destruction owing to deforestation and expansion of agricultural land.
- It is also threatened by poaching for its meat, skin and for use in traditional Chinese medicine.
- The king cobra is listed in CITES Appendix II.
- It is protected in China and Vietnam.
- In India, it is placed under Schedule II of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
- Killing a king cobra is punished with imprisonment of up to six years.
About Tillari Conservation Reserve’:
- This region of Maharashtra have been declared as the Conservation Reserve.
- This area covering nine villages in the forest range is known to serve as a corridor and even as a habitat for the population of tigers and elephants moving between the three states of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
- Conservation reserve denotes protected areas, which typically act as buffer zones to or connectors and migration corridors between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved and protected forests.
- Such areas are designated as conservation areas if they are uninhabited and completely owned by the Government of India but used for subsistence by communities if part of the lands are privately owned.
Conservation reserves vs. community reserves
- Conservation reserves and community reserves in India are terms denoting protected areas of India.
- They typically act as buffer zones to or connectors and migration corridors between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved and protected forests of India.
- Administration of such reserves would be through local people and local agencies like the gram panchayat, as in the case of communal forests.
- In 2012, Rajasthan government in India declared "Jawai Bandh forests" as a conservation reserve forest.
- Keshopur chamb gurdaspur (Punjab) conservation reserve India's first community reserve.
- Gogabeel, an ox-bow lake in Bihar’s Katihar district, has been declared as the state’s first ‘Community Reserve’.
- In 2020 the Indian government created the world's first sea cucumber reserve in Lakshadweep-Dr KK Mohammed Koya Sea Cucumber Conservation Reserve
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