A technician called to fix an air conditioner came across an unexpected hurdle – a sleeping cobra.

The staff at a government-run small hospital in Bhubaneswar, India, called a technician to fix the foul smell that was coming from an air conditioner on April 3rd.

When the technician tried to open the machine he saw a cobra sleeping inside.

The cobra had possibly got in through a hole drilled to install the air conditioner, to escape the summer heat.

The man shouted in fear and the cobra, now awake, raised its hood to put on a majestic display of its prowess.

The terrified staff called a local rescue organisation, Snake Helpline, which rushed its volunteers to the spot.

Subhendu Malik, who led the team, climbed a table and gently extricated the cobra, which was later released in its natural habitat.

Subhendu said: “Though I had rescued several snakes in the past from air conditioners, I came across a cobra in them for the first time.”

A technician called to fix an air conditioner came across an unexpected hurdle – a sleeping cobra.

The staff at a government-run small hospital in Bhubaneswar, India, called a technician to fix the foul smell that was coming from an air conditioner on April 3rd.

When the technician tried to open the machine he saw a cobra sleeping inside.

The cobra had possibly got in through a hole drilled to install the air conditioner, to escape the summer heat.

The man shouted in fear and the cobra, now awake, raised its hood to put on a majestic display of its prowess.

The terrified staff called a local rescue organisation, Snake Helpline, which rushed its volunteers to the spot.

Subhendu Malik, who led the team, climbed a table and gently extricated the cobra, which was later released in its natural habitat.

Subhendu said: “Though I had rescued several snakes in the past from air conditioners, I came across a cobra in them for the first time.”