18-06-2025
Five-year-old king cobra ‘Nagarjun' dies at Van Vihar
Bhopal: A five-year-old King Cobra named 'Nagarjun' died on Wednesday at Van Vihar National Park in Bhopal. The snake was brought from Karnataka to Bhopal nearly two and a half months ago.
Since its arrival, it was kept under 24-hour veterinary observation. The reptile was found dead inside its enclosure.
According to the Van Vihar officials, no movement was observed in Nagarjun through CCTV surveillance on Wednesday morning.
Concerned by the inactivity, the attending veterinarian entered the enclosure and confirmed the cobra's death.
A post-mortem was conducted by a team of veterinary experts.
The exact cause of death will be determined after the post-mortem report is released.
Van Vihar officials said that Nagarjun's behaviour appeared normal until Tuesday evening. Van Vihar's wildlife medical officer was in regular contact with the veterinary officer of Pilikula Biological Park in Mangalore, Karnataka, from where the snake was brought. No abnormalities were reported until then.
Under the wildlife exchange programme, two male King Cobras—Nagarjun (age 5) and Nagshayna (age 8)—were brought to Van Vihar from Pilikula Biological Park, Mangalore, Karnataka, on April 6. Since their arrival, both snakes were under round-the-clock surveillance to ensure their adaptation and health. Further updates are expected following the results of the post-mortem examination, officials said.
