Tapan Kumar Barik, a resident of Bhubaneswar in eastern India, heard an unusual hissing sound while starting his bike on January 27.

He searched carefully and saw the tail of a snake disappearing underneath the seat.

In a panic, he called Snake Helpline and a volunteer, Rajesh Sutar, was sent to assist him.

As Sutar removed the seat from the bike, he spotted a three-feet-long cobra hiding underneath. He carefully removed the cobra with a snake hook and released it back into its natural habitat.

Subhendu Mallik, founder of Snake Helpline, said: "Thankfully, the man was alert. If he had seen the cobra while driving there could have been a serious accident."

Tapan Kumar Barik,a resident of Bhubaneswar in eastern India, heard an unusual ‘hiss’ sound while starting his bike on January 27.

He searched carefully and saw the tail of a snake disappearing underneath the seat.

In panic, he called Snake Helpline and a volunteer, Rajesh Sutar, went to assist him.

As Sutar removed the seat from the bike, he spotted a three-feet-long cobra hiding underneath. He carefully removed the cobra with a snake hook and released it in a natural habitat.

Subhendu Mallik, founder of Snake Helpline, said: "Thankfully, the man was alert. If he had been the cobra while driving there could have been serious accident."