24 King cobras confiscated from smugglers and released in Vietnam

27/03/2009 16:20:01

The work of Wildlife At Risk (WAR)

In January 2009, Mr Thanh, Director for Parks & Wildife of Cat Tien National Park, contacted staff from the Cu Chi Wildlife Rescue Centre (CCWRC).

The conversation that followed took us all by surprise. Mr Thanh asked if we were prepared to help confiscate, capture & release a large shipment of King Cobras (Ophiophagus Hannah). Members of the Forest Protection Department (FPD) had already had a tip off from local people that a lorry would be travelling towards the Chinese Border ready to offload this large valuable shipment.

The lorry was intercepted in Binh Dinh Province, Central Vietnam nearly 1000 kilomteres north of Cat Tien National Park. Staff from CCWRC & CTNP travelled overnight to pick up the valuable shipment.

24 king cobras
There were a total of 24 King Cobras weighing 40kg to be released straight back into Cat Tien National Park. The driver who was being questioned by FPD Government officials told us these snakes had been collected from the wild just hours before, so CCWRC staff made the decision it would be best to release them straight back into a highly protected national park.

The King Cobras were already packaged for transport back to Cat Tien. Not your average shipment, there were 8 King Cobras per bag, all very cramped & very lethargic until they started to sense freedom. The snakes were individually inspected & deemed in excellent condition. All the bags were hosed down then left in the sun for a few minutes to let the snakes adjust to their surroundings.

After weighing each bag of snakes, CCWRC staff spoke to Cat Tien staff for the best relocation sites they could identify. 5 different sites were chosen as they were close to water bodies & far away enough from human interference.

The release was deemed a success for both Wildlife At Risk & Cat Tien staff.

Cobras being released in Cat Tien National Park