Madikeri: A two-and-a-half-year-old child drowned while playing in Choranahole stream near Aiguru village.The deceased child, Chahat, was the son of Ponnachana Teja and Shama, a couple from Aiguru. On Saturday evening, he had gone to the nearby stream to play with his twin brother and cousin when he accidentally fell into the water and drowned.The children used to go there to play in the stream because its water level remains usually low. However, due to heavy rain in Takeri and Kiraganduru areas on Friday, the water flow in Aiguru Choranahole stream had increased. Unaware of this, the children went to play in the water, and Chahat slipped into it.Upon learning of the incident, family members rushed to the spot, retrieved him from the water, and took him to a govt hospital, where doctors confirmed his death. Chahat is survived by his parents, a brother, and two sisters. The funeral took place at their village on Sunday.King cobra rescuedExpert reptile handler Keerthan Somanna successfully rescued a king cobra that had slithered into a sprinkler pipe near a house in Chelavara village. Locals were alarmed upon discovering the snake inside the pipe, and immediately informed Somanna.Acting promptly, Somanna and his friend Prajwal used their skill to extract the snake from the pipe and safely secure it in a box. They then informed the Virajpet forest department staff and, with their assistance, successfully released the snake unharmed into the nearby Makutta forest.Somanna is a resident of Hoddur village near Murnad and maintains a keen interest in the study of snakes.
