A driver in southeast India discovered a snake had slithered under his car bonnet while driving on a highway, prompting an unorthodox rescue.

Debraj Pattnaik, a resident of Cuttack, Odisha was returning home from Bhubaneswar by the bust highway on March 8, when he was shocked to see a snake crawling on the windshield of his car.

A terrified Debraj stopped his car immediately and jumped out. He then called Snake Helpline, who rushed a volunteer, Rajesh Sutar, to the spot.

Rajesh identified the snake to be a non-venomous Checkered Keelback Snake. While he easily grabbed the head of the snake, freeing its body from underneath the bonnet was tricky.

The bonnet was opened and Rajesh gently removed the snake and released it later in a nearby habitat.

Subhendu Mallik, founder of Snake Helpline, said: “Drivers panic when they spot snakes in their moving vehicles and suffer mishaps. Debraj kept his presence of mind and pulled over safely.”

Debraj Pattnaik a resident of Cuttack, Odisha was returning home from Bhubaneswar in eastern India on March 8.

On the bust highway, he was shocked to see a snake crawling on the windshield of his car. A terrified Debraj stopped his car immediately and jumped out.

He called Snake Helpline, who rushed a volunteer, Rajesh Sutar, to the spot.

Rajesh identified the snake to be a non-venomous Checkered Keelback Snake. While he easily grabbed the head of the snake, freeing its body from underneath the bonnet was tricky.

The bonnet was opened and Rajesh gently removed the snake and released it later in a nearby habitat.

Subhendu Mallik, founder of Snake Helpline, said: “Drivers panic when they spot snakes in their moving vehicles and suffer mishaps. Debraj kept his presence of mind and pulled over safely.”