A snake rescuer’s attempt to show off his skill by repeatedly kissing a wild cobra has landed him in trouble.

Forest officials of Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra, India, filed case against Mahendra Nagre after they came across a video of his daring stunt.

The footage shows Nagre attempting to rescue a fully-grown cobra in an agricultural field near Parner town.

The angry cobra, which has flared its hood in a defensive position, can be seen taking a swipe at Nagre, catching him off guard. But undeterred he moves on kiss the hood at least thrice in the part of the footage available with the officials.

He then puts the cobra in a bag to release it in a nearby forest.

Deputy conservator of forests Sreelakshmi Annabhatula said a search warrant had been issued against Nagre.

“Touching or improper handling of wildlife amounts to cruelty and is prohibited under the Wildlife Act of 1972,” she said.

Akash Jadhav of Wildlife Protection and Social Work Society, Ahmednagar, said many snake rescuers liked to stage stunts without knowing they were breaking the law or taking huge risks.

In February 2017, a snake rescuer in Mumbai, Somnath Mhatre, died while rescuing a cobra. He tried to kiss it while posing for a photo and it bit him back in the chest injecting deadly poison.

He died five days later in a hospital due to multi-organ failure after failing to respond to the treatment.