Chennai: A total of 19 cobra hatchlings were rescued from beneath the concrete flooring of a house in Egmore by the forest department on Sunday.According to officials, a resident spotted eggs in the backyard and alerted the forest department. Anti-poaching guards from the Guindy forest range reached the house and identified them as cobra eggs. On inspection, officials found 39 hatched eggs beneath the ground.Officials said the eggs had hatched a day or two earlier and suspected that the hatchlings were still in the area. A team excavated gaps beneath the concrete flooring during a four-hour search operation and rescued 19 hatchlings one by one. The operation was stopped after nightfall, leaving the search for the remaining hatchlings incomplete.The rescued hatchlings were taken away and released in the Chengalpet forest area. Since 39 eggs had hatched but only 19 hatchlings were found, officials suspect the remaining 20 could have moved into gaps beneath the flooring or other unused sections of the property.About 10 days earlier, forest department personnel had rescued a female cobra from the same house. Officials said the hatchlings were believed to be its offspring. A search operation was scheduled for Sunday to locate and rescue the remaining hatchlings.
