A venomous cobra measuring six to seven feet has been rescued from the upazila parishad premises in Fulgazi, Feni. A snake catcher rescued the snake on the afternoon of Wednesday, 23 August.

Snake catcher Rajat said a cobra usually lays 22 to 32 or 42 eggs, so there is a chance that more snakes are present on the site.

Fulgazi upazila livestock officer Dr Md Ruhul Amin said snakes had also been seen on the premises of the livestock office, and the bushes there had been cut and cleared as a result.

Local resident Mannan Majumder said it was not only the upazila parishad premises: because of the recent floods, venomous snakes had also become more common in the settlements that have grown up along the river.

Upazila health and family planning officer Dr Rubaiyat Bin Karim said the health complex offers scientific, modern treatment for snakebite. Taking a patient to an ojha or baidya (traditional healer) not only wastes time, he said, but puts the patient in a critical condition.

Al Amin, acting upazila nirbahi officer of Fulgazi, said a cobra along with its eggs had been rescued from the training centre of the upazila agricultural extension department on 17 August. Because snakes have become more common on the upazila premises, a cleaning drive is under way, and chemicals will be sprayed if the situation requires it, he said.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.