King Cobra Research

The King Cobra, Ophiophagus hannah (Cantor, 1836) is the longest venomous snake in the world. It is categorized as a Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and also listed by the CITES Appendix II. They use a variety of habitats and sometimes small waterways in the vicinity of human habitation including agricultural field and rural villages. The major threats to King Cobras in Nepal are thought to be habitat destruction and persecution by humans. The main purpose of Save The King project is to highlight the current status of the King Cobra and conservation needs in Nepal. In Nepal, every year hundreds of people die from snakebite. Unfortunately, most people frequently kill snakes when encountered. Our pilot data reflect an increasing trend in King Cobra deaths. We believe that deaths will decrease in the future, as people become more familiar with King Cobra behavior through this Save The King project. We will conduct research programs on this charismatic species to understand its distribution, habitat and natural history, as well as continued conservation education, community outreach and capacity building programs to protect the habitat and Save The King.