King Cobra Captured at Lord Ayyappa Temple Amid Festival Preparations

A king cobra was captured by trained forest officials at the Lord Ayyappa Temple ahead of the Makaravilakku festival, enhancing local surveillance. It marked the first capture of its kind at the temple premises. The snake was released back into the forest after being safely relocated.

In a significant operation, forest officials successfully captured a king cobra from the renowned Lord Ayyappa Temple premises on Sunday. The capture comes as the temple experiences a surge in devotees flocking for the upcoming Makaravilakku festival.

The snake was found at the temple's Sannidhanam complex and safely captured by trained rescuers. This marked the first-ever capture of a 'rajavembala' or king cobra at the shrine, as per an official statement.

Following its capture, the cobra was relocated to the base camp in Pampa and then released into the dense forest. Authorities have heightened surveillance in the area as a precautionary measure, a necessity following previous snake sightings. The Forest Department reports that 243 snakes have been captured during this pilgrimage season.

(With inputs from agencies.)