Meet Dr. Roshini, Kerala only woman forest officer, who catches Kings Cobra, Pythons & Rat Snakes with bare hands

Roshni, a beat forest officer in Kerala for the past eight years, recently rescued her first king cobra, marking a significant moment in her wildlife rescue career. She is the only woman snake catcher in the Kerala Forest Department and part of the state’s first batch of women forest officers.

The rescue also comes at a time when Roshni has received a doctorate in social services from Global Human Peace University in Chennai, where she was awarded a gold medal for academic performance. She is a graduate in Botany and often posts updates from her professional and academic life on Instagram.

Rare encounter with a king cobra

According to The Indian Express, Roshni said, “This is the first time I caught a king cobra. It had been my dream since I started as a certified snake rescuer in the department in 2019.” While king cobras have been handled by rescuers in other parts of Kerala, Roshni had not previously found one in Thiruvananthapuram.

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“While many snake catchers elsewhere in Kerala have rescued king cobras, I did not get such a chance in Thiruvananthapuram, where this species is rarely spotted,” she told The Indian Express.

Leading snake rescue efforts in the district

Roshni currently heads the Rapid Response Team (RRT) at the Paruthippally forest range. Over her years in service, she has caught and relocated about 800 snakes—many of them venomous—from populated areas across the district.

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Challenges and safety in snake rescue

Most of the time, Roshni travels alone to attend to rescue calls. “On most such occasions, there would be a snake in the trunk of the car or the storage of the scooter. I will be riding a scooter with a snake in the storage under the seat,” she said, as quoted by The Indian Express.

She also does not use protective gear like gloves or gumboots when handling snakes, including venomous ones like the king cobra. “It is risky to catch a king cobra mainly because of its length. When you catch the tail of a king cobra, its length enables it to swiftly turn against you and attack. To save itself, a king cobra can coil with its head and tail on a single point,” she said.

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Mental strength and family support

On what it takes to work in snake rescue, Roshni said, “You need courage and presence of mind. Concentration is very important. We have to weigh our safety, the snake’s safety, and that of the onlookers.”

“I enjoy catching snakes and have the support of my family. Many others have got trained over the years, but they might not have ventured into snake catching for want of support from family or courage,” she told The Indian Express.

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Roshni’s work highlights the expanding role of women in frontline conservation efforts in Kerala. Her rescue efforts and academic journey reflect the importance of trained, courageous responders in managing human-wildlife interactions in the state.

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