Mangaluru (TOI): A slithery visitor cozying itself in the shoe rack of Fernandes' residence at Gurupur-Kaikamba this weekend was enough to give the family scare of their lifetime. A closer look at the visitor revealed it was 13-feet long King Cobra, which had strayed from Western Ghats, its natural habitat. Rare sighting of this magnificent reptile was cause enough for Maurice Fernandes to call 'Snake' Gangesh Bolar and his disciple Suvith, aka 'Snake' Papu to the scene.
Having dealt with these slithery creatures for the past four-decades, Gangesh who has since passed on this knowledge to his ever-obedient disciple Papu, 31, the teacher-disciple duo coaxed this King Cobra out from the shoe rack and bagged it in a matter of few minutes. "It was an exhilarating moment for both of us for it is the first King Cobra that we have caught," said Papu adding this is for second time that a King Cobra has been sighted and caught in Gurupur-Kaikamba area.
A huge fan of M S Balasubramania aka Snake Shyam of Mysuru, Papu who has modelled himself completely on lines of Snake Shyam says he has bagged more than 2,250 snakes of all varieties in the past eight years he has kept track off. "Though I have been in to capturing stray snakes since the past decade, I have kept a log of trappings for past eight years," Papu said, adding the King Cobra has since been handed over to the Pilikula Biological Park at Moodushedde.
Gangesh, 63, a fisherman learnt the art of handling snakes from his grandfather Angara Pandit Bolar, who gave home medicine for snake bites. "Papu is a good student and it is no surprise that he tamed the King Cobra in double quick time," avers Gangesh. The duo also rescue and treat injured snakes and release them in to the wild through the Biological Park authorities. They also take care of abandoned snake eggs, hatch and release these young ones in to the wild.
