Eastwood king cobra snake sanctuary a 'safety net'

Eastwood king cobra snake sanctuary a 'safety net'

AdvertisementBehind his Nottinghamshire house Luke Yeomans keeps 24 king cobras
A Nottinghamshire man is keeping a collection of 20 adult and four juvenile king cobras in a compound behind his house in the former mining village of Eastwood.

"I am maintaining this breeding colony of king cobras as a safety net - to protect the species from possible extinction," said snake-breeder Luke Yeomans.

"Until mankind changes the way he treats the natural world, a living ark is required for the survival of many animal species."

It is the only such breeding colony in Europe, according to Mr Yeomans.

The 47-year-old started the project in 2008, in reaction to the depletion of the snake's natural habitat in the forests of south-east Asia and India.

He plans to breed another 100 snakes by the end of 2011.

Mr Yeomans said he was opening the King Cobra Sanctuary to the public on 2 July to educate people about the world's longest venomous snake.

Cannibalistic snakes

The snake expert said he had always been obsessed with snakes, catching his first adder at the age of seven and sharing his bedroom with a collection of gaboon vipers and Indian cobras in his teens.

At the age of 16 he opened his first pet shop, specialising in snakes and other reptiles.

Two years on he started to breed his own.

"I was very unhappy with some of the imported snakes as they were dehydrated and covered in parasites.

"Back in the early 1980s, breeding snakes was a rare event but there was a handful of enthusiasts in the UK and USA making headway and we shared what we learnt."

He said the current programme's success was largely down to the way he introduced the female to the male.

Continue reading the main story
The king cobra
King cobras are the longest of all the venomous snakes
The venom from a single bite of a king cobra is strong enough to kill an elephant
The snake is cannibalistic
When threatened the king cobra raises itself up, growls and extend its hood
It is the only snake with facial expression and it is the only snake with vocal chords
The snake is one of the most dangerous in Asia
"King cobras are cannibalistic snakes. To get a pair together without cannibalism is difficult. You need to get the female in with the male without her showing signs of aggression."

Mr Yeomans' fascination for the king cobra came from studying it in its natural environment, working with herpetologist and wildlife conservationist Rom Whitaker.

Mr Whitaker founded of the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station in India in 2005, a centre dedicated to the conservation of the snake and its habitat.

The king cobra is one of the most dangerous snakes to inhabit the forests of Asia and is reputed to be able to kill an elephant.

Mr Yeomans compared his passion for snakes with other people's obsessions with fast cars.

"People do say that I am mad but I say it's better than people saying you're bad. I think everything I am doing is good," he said.




A King Cobra
A snake breeder has died after being bitten by one of his venomous reptiles.
Police are investigating the death of the man in his 40s in Eastwood, Nottingham, today.

He is believed to be Luke Yeomans, a snake breeder who was due to open the King Cobra Sanctuary breeding colony to the public this weekend.

Advertisement >>
Nottinghamshire Police said officers were called at around 2pm to a property in Brookhill Leys Road, near Eastwood, where the man had suffered a suspected heart attack.

It is believed he had received a bite from a venomous snake, a spokeswoman said, and said he was pronounced dead at the scene.

She said the snake has been contained and there is no danger to the public.

"The RSPCA, Health and Safety Executive and Broxtowe Borough Council have been informed of the incident," police said.

"Nottinghamshire Police will investigate the circumstances surrounding the death in conjunction with the appropriate agency and will liaise with the coroner's office."

A spokeswoman for the Health and Safety Executive said they were aware of the incident and were making preliminary inquiries.

The King Cobra Sanctuary, based at Brookhill Leys Farm, offers people the chance to see the king cobras in the breeding colony.

Writing on its website previously, Mr Yeomans said: "The King Cobra Sanctuary was born from my lifelong love for this amazing snake species and my concerns that it could eventually disappear from the wild.

"Until mankind changes the way he treats the natural world, a living 'Ark' is required for the survival of many animal species.

"The King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), an end of the line apex predator, is certainly one of them.

"With 30 years experience of the King Cobra, myself and my daughter Nicole - now in our third year of the project, will maintain a breeding colony of this large and dangerous, but also misunderstood venomous snake."

Mr Yeomans recently told the BBC he was keeping the colony of adult and juvenile king cobras in a compound behind his house as a "safety net" to protect the species from possible extinction.

He said he started the project in 2008 in reaction to the depletion of the snake's natural habitat in forests of south-east Asia and India, and planned to breed another 100 snakes by the end of 2011.

He told the BBC: "People do say that I am mad but I say it's better than people saying you're bad.

"I think everything I am doing is good."

king cobra sanctuary , snake death