Amaravati, July 30 : Thirty King Cobra hatchlings were successfully released into the Eastern Ghats in what is claimed to be the first-of-its-kind, community-led conservation initiative in Andhra Pradesh.

This reflects the power of collaboration between local communities, NGOs, and the Forest Department, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan said in a post on social media platform 'X' on Wednesday.

In-situ conservation of King Cobra nesting habitat was taken up by involving local tribal communities in Paderu Forest Division in North Andhra Pradesh.

Pawan Kalyan, who is also the Forest and Environment Minister, stated that under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Andhra Pradesh continues to make bold strides in inclusive, science-based wildlife conservation.

He conveyed his heartfelt congratulations to A.K. Naik, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Head of Forest Force (HoFF), S.S. Sridhar, Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW), dedicated frontline staff, and the Eastern Ghats Wildlife Society (EGWS) for this pioneering effort.

'This success sets the stage for the next big step ' a proposed 2,400-hectare King Cobra Sanctuary in the Eastern Ghats. Once notified, it would be the first of its kind in the world, placing AP at the forefront of species-specific conservation. Let this be a model of what can be achieved when communities and conservation go hand in hand,' added Pawan Kalyan.

Through an earlier post, the Deputy Chief Minister directed Forest department officials to regularly alert people in areas where elephants are roaming. He asked them to form WhatsApp groups with villagers to provide advance information.

He said the Forest department staff should conduct continuous monitoring in those villages.

Pawan Kalyan gave the direction to officials amid reports of elephants roaming in Chittoor and Tirupati districts.

The Deputy Chief Minister held a teleconference with the forest officials to review the movement of elephant herds, destruction of crops and the recent death of a farmer in an attack by elephants in Chittoor district.

/IANS