By Kenneth Gachucha
On 1st January 2026, Nairobi Snake Park received an unexpected New Year’s guest: a nearly two-metre long Egyptian cobra safely captured in the Mlolongo area. This silent, swift, and highly venomous reptile, one of Africa’s most formidable snakes, needed expert intervention after crossing paths with human settlements.
Just weeks after arriving at the park, the cobra surprised her caretakers by laying a clutch of 24 eggs, revealing nature’s fascinating reproductive strategy. Snakes can store sperm for years, fertilising eggs only when conditions such as food availability are favourable.
This wasn’t the Snake Park’s first remarkable breeding event. Years earlier, a rescued puff adder gave birth to an astonishing 68 live young, demonstrating the vital role the facility plays in safeguarding both reptiles and their future generations.
As a rescue, rehabilitation, and conservation centre for abandoned, confiscated, or illegally collected reptiles, Nairobi Snake Park serves as an important hub for public education on reptile conservation. The Egyptian cobra’s successful relocation and subsequent egg-laying perfectly illustrate how expert care can transform a potentially dangerous encounter into a conservation success story.