Snakes NOT on a Plane but on trains; travellers to favourite beach destination of India take note

PANAJI: What if you have an unexpected guest on your train journey while enjoying the scenic beauty of the Konkan Railway? What if that guest is a king cobra? 'Snakes on a Plane' is just a movie, but snakes on a train is not fiction but reality. Although it may sound surprising and scary, a new scientific discovery has revealed that king cobras are common on trains in Goa. A 2026 study published in Biotropica by researchers from the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change in Germany reveals that King cobras in India are using trains to travel.

Between 2002 and 2024, the forest department caught 47 king cobras from various trains running on the Konkan Railway route. Of these, 18 were from North Goa and 29 from South Goa. The snakes are believed to board trains by accident while seeking prey (rodents, other snakes) or shelter near railway tracks and in storage areas, often entering carriages at night.

Snakes travel for miles through man-made networks, not just by their own efforts. Researchers have found that snakes that are only found in forests reach urban areas and populated areas through trains. King cobras of the Western Ghats are usually found in Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. They can grow up to 13 feet long and are highly venomous. Researchers also point out that their arrival in new places through trains can have various consequences.

Snakes entering populated areas are dangerous for both humans and snakes. Mixing with snakes from different areas can change their genetic makeup. This can affect the natural balance of the environment.

The researchers believe that this study will help reduce the fear of snakes. Understanding that snakes on railway tracks are primarily searching for food or navigating, rather than intending to attack humans, will help reduce the tendency to kill snakes.