A common wolf snake in India attempted to eat a house gecko and was left with a grisly and life-threatening injury that required surgery.

Reportedly the two-foot-snake was attempting to swallow the gecko, when the lizard managed to break the snake's lower jaw and thrust its head out through the throat of the would-be predator.

Durgamadhab Mohapatra, a volunteer of Snake Helpline was shocked to spot the badly wounded snake with the dead gecko trapped in its throat on March 2 in Banki, Odisha.

Snake Helpline volunteer lalit Mohan Panda took the snake to Orissa University of Agriculture & Technology (OUAT) in Bhubaneswar where Assistant Professor of Veterinary Surgery, Dr Biswadeep Jena found that the reptile was in shock and dehydrated, with the gecko sticking out of its ventro-lateral part of oesophagus.

Jena immediately cut the gecko apart and removed it from the snake’s throat, which had been given local anaesthesia. He then cleaned and closed the esophageal opening with a synthetic absorbable suture.

The snake, which was treated with antiseptic ointment, antibiotics and steroids, is responding well.

“The snake will be kept under observation and will be released in its natural habitat after full recovery,” said Dr Jena.

A common wolf snake’s attempt to prey on a house gecko left it with a life-threatening injury.

The four-inch long gecko put up a tough fight and desperately tried to claw through the snake’s mouth to escape its grip. The encounter left the gecko dead and the two-feet long non-venomous snake fared no better.

The gecko had managed to break the lower jaw and thrust its head out through the throat of the predator. But it had died and got stuck there.

Durgamadhab Mohapatra, a volunteer of Snake Helpline was shocked to spot the badly wounded snake on March 2 in Banki in eastern India. It was writhing in pain unable to eject the gecko, which had torn out of its throat.

“The gecko was strong while the snake was non-venomous and weak bodied with thin skin and muscles. That led to the bizarre situation,” said Subhendu Mallik, the founder of Snake Helpline.

“There was no question of retrieving the dead gecko as it would have widened the rupture. The snake had also lost blood and needed urgent medical attention,” he added.

Snake Helpline volunteer lalit Mohan Panda took the snake to Orissa University of Agriculture & Technology (OUAT) in Bhubaneswar where Assistant Professor, Veterinary Surgery, Dr Biswadeep Jena found that the reptile was in shock and dehydrated, with the gecko sticking out of its ventro-lateral part of esophagus.

He decapitated the gecko and removed it from the snake’s throat, which had been given local anaesthesia. He then cleaned and closed the esophageal opening with synthetic absorbable suture.

The snake, which was treated with antiseptic ointment, antibiotics and steroids, is responding well.

“The snake will be kept under observation and will be released in its natural habitat after full recovery,” said Dr Jena.