This was the moment a rat snake was found struggling to free its head, which was stuck in a beer can.

The snake had put its head inside a discarded can looking for food and had got stuck.

A few security personnel at National Institute of Technology in Rourkela, Odisha, India, spotted the snake on their campus.

They called Snake Helpline, who rushed a volunteer Amar Kumar Das, to rescue the snake.

Das picked up the can and gently removed the snake’s head. The snake, which was highly stressed, could be seen wriggling desperately to make a quick escape.

Das put the snake in a bag and then released it in a nearby forest.

Subhendu Mallik, General Secretary of Snake Helpline, said: "Empty beverage cans are acting as death traps for snakes. People should crush them after use."