This is the heartwarming moment a snake was rescued after being found with its head stuck inside a discarded beer can.

Anup Naik saw the snake in pain while it was struggling to move beside a rubbish bin in a village in Ponda City in Goa, India on September 21.

At first, he thought it was just hunting rats but after checking closely he saw that it was wriggling on the ground trying to free its head from the can.

The reptile is believed to have slithered inside the can after smelling a sweet scent, which it wanted to eat. But the sharp opening was then digging into its scales and it was wedged too tightly to escape.

Anup immediately called the local wildlife rescue team who arrived with metal cutting tools and other hand gear in case the snake became aggressive.

Wildlife chief Charan Desai and his team gently cut open the can with his colleagues who held the frightened rat snake.

They carefully cut parts of the can away to avoid hurting the reptile, which  was stuck inside.

They were able to free the animal after almost half an hour of carefully cutting away the sharp metal. 

Charan said: "The snake must have been attracted to hunt near the bin because the rats eat the waste inside. The poor creature must have been stuck while catching a rat."

The rescuers released the rat snake in a nearby forest and reminded the locals about keeping their rubbish secure, to prevent animals from getting stuck.

Charan added: "Garbage can be fatal wildlife so we humans should be responsible for our waste and dispose of in proper containers."