Odisha: Cobra Struggles To Breathe After Swallowing Cough Syrup Bottle

BHUBANESHWAR: A Snake Helpline team managed to save a cobra that had partially swallowed a bottle of cough syrup and was struggling to breathe on Wednesday.

Snake experts successfully extracted the bottle without being bitten by the cobra's jaws. According to wildlife officials, the snake consumed the bottle after becoming drawn to the syrup's scent.

Susanta Nanda, an Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer, posted a video of the cobra struggling to breathe after swallowing a cough syrup bottle on X, which was later saved by volunteers from the snake helpline.

In the video, the bottle of cough syrup is seen stuck in the snake's jaws. The snake was struggling and unable to escape until the volunteers intervened on its behalf.

According to Nanda, experts from the snake helpline "gently widened the lower jaw to free the rim of the base of the bottle with great risk," therefore saving the cobra's life. The IFS officer complimented them for preserving a precious life.

The incident was captured on video, and the cobra can be seen crawling away after the bottle was finally removed from its mouth. After the rescue mission was successfully completed, chants of "Har Har Mahadev" rang through the air.

“A Common cobra swallowed a cough syrup bottle in Bhubaneswar & was struggling to regurgitate it. Volunteers from snake helpline gently widened the lower jaw to free the rim of the base of the bottle with great risk & saved a precious life. Kudos,” wrote IFS officer Susanta Nanda.

Locals noticed the cobra battling with the bottle in its mouth and called the Snake Helpline. Suvendu Mallick, a snake expert and wildlife enthusiast, led the rescue.

"I gently manipulated the fang and the jaw while maintaining caution to avoid being bitten. I just helped the reptile to regurgitate the bottle and it did so. It was released outside the city in its natural habitat," Mallick told the Times of India.

The bottle was stuck approximately a week ago, he added, and the cobra became dehydrated. "The snake got attracted to the smell and swallowed the bottle," he further added.

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