Called the king of snakes, the king cobra can grow up to a length of 6 meters, making it the longest venomous snake in the world. One bite delivers enough venom to kill an elephant or 20 people.

Although deadly to humans, the king cobra feeds almost exclusively on other snakes and despite its aggressive reputation the king is much more shy and cautious than smaller snakes. King cobras will only attack people when cornered, to protect its eggs or in self defense.

Throughout its entire range (from India to Indonesia) less than five people are killed yearly due to king cobra bites.

Apart from being the largest venomous snake on earth, the king cobra is also more intelligent than other snakes. Caregivers say that the king is a fast learner and can distinguish between their caregivers and strangers. Scientist also believe that some king cobras mate for life – a lot like humans - and build nests for their eggs which they will protect until they hatch.

The king cobra inspires fear and awe from people in India. On the lunar holiday of Nag Panchami, Hindus will not plough or work their fields out of respect for cobras and in Burma a huge king cobra is presented to the village of Myanmar in a basket. Upon opening the basket the cobra will rise to its full height where a Shan priestess will walk forward and kiss it.

Unfortunately the king cobra faces extinction due to habitat destruction. In southern India more than a dozen cobras are killed annually when they venture into tea plantations and villages, coming in direct contact with humans. The king’s future looks bleak and to make matters worse, king cobras rarely breed in captivity. Thus far only two cases of kings breeding in captivity has been recorded.

The Cango Wildlife Ranch is the proud home of one of these magnificent snakes.