National Geographic: King Cobra Page #2

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jackfruits are ripening.

Their sweet, pungent odor beckons.

It's an irresistible lure to

creatures both small

and great

To reach the succulent flesh

within the 20-pound fruit,

the prickly skin must first be peeled.

It's a messy job for even

the most adept of elephants.

She leaves a veritable

banquet in her wake.

This is a season when king cobras

roam widely through the forest.

But today the king's subjects

are distracted by the fruit.

They take only passing

notice of his presence.

The king still seeks a mate.

And it's in this fruiting season

that he's most likely to find one.

But it's not a female he encounters.

It's a rival... a formidable male.

A potent threat,

he must be driven away.

Each is capable of killing

the other with a single bite.

A strange duel begins

an encounter rarely witnessed

and never before filmed.

Rather than a fight to the death,

the battle has evolved

into a ritualized dance.

To win, one snake must force

the other's head to the ground.

At last, there is a victor.

It's the intruder.

The king has been dethroned.

Driven from his domain,

he must seek another.

But the rain forests of southern India

are a finite land.

As people press in,

less and less remains

for the king cobra.

Our king has no choice

but to leave the jungle.

Fortunately for the king cobra...

water is no barrier.

He is a gifted swimmer.

But what lies ahead for the king?

As the forest is cleared,

its creatures more and more

frequently cross the border

into a strange new realm...

the realm of civilization.

But surprisingly,

a tea plantation is a

welcome sight to the exiled king.

Here there is thick vegetation

and an abundance of rat snakes.

But this is no haven.

For when king cobras

and people cross paths

there is bound to be trouble.

Just one glimpse of the legendary

king can cause panic

and shut down a plantation for weeks.

This cultivated land is not as rich as

the king cobra's old domain,

but still,

he makes himself at home here.

Yet he must be evicted if work

is to resume at the plantation.

And even the king is no match for

humans who are determined and armed.

Fortunately for the king,

a special sort of

hunter has been called in.

His weapons are simply

a stick and a sack

to the amazement of his audience.

In this part of India,

people know to call Rom Whitaker

whenever a king cobra is on the loose.

An American expatriate raised in India

Whitaker has studied

these snakes for over 20 years.

I'll leave the bag here.

You take that path.

Okay.

Careful, huh?

Yeah.

I've been fascinated with

king cobras all my life.

Anyone who likes snakes

knows that this is the super snake,

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