There has been a lot of interest in Asian snakes over the last week. Most of this attention centered on the Reticulated Python that swallowed an Indonesian man whole. At the same time, a positive, although bizarre, encounter occurred between a snake and a 42-year-old Indian man

king cobra snake india drink water bottle drought

At the moment, Southern India is going through one of the worst droughts in history. While this has citizens struggling to survive, the wildlife is also suffering from the oppressive heat. These two groups intersected in a village located in Kaiga township when a 12-foot-long King Cobra slithered into the center of town. The reptile is extremely venomous and has the reputation of being incredibly aggressive. King Cobras are among the deadliest snakes in the world.

king cobra snake india drink water bottle drought

However, rather than attack the snake, residents noticed its odd behavior. It seemed confused and was moving around more than normal. Eventually, once they realized the snake wasn’t going to leave, residents called in the experts. A team of three wildlife rescuers responded to the call. Based on their experiences with other King Cobras, the rescue workers concluded the snake was severely dehydrated.

king cobra snake india drink water bottle drought

The brave leader of the wildlife experts decided to give the serpent a drink. The most efficient, and dangerous way was to have the snake drink directly from a bottle. After one team member grabbed the snake’s tail, the commander slowly approached the snake. He held a hook in one hand in case the cobra struck. He held a bottle of water in his other hand. At first, he splashed water on the reptile’s back. He then proceeded to pour out a small trickle that the snake lapped up. The entire encounter lasted only 40 seconds, but both snake and humans escaped unharmed. The wildlife rescue experts eventually took the deadly reptile to an animal care facility where it continued to receive fluids.

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Jamie Butler

Jamie Butler

I'm a former publicist, now pensioner, who lives outside of London with my husband and am enjoying my free time, especially with both daughters gone to university.