This was the moment a well-hidden rat snake decided to make a run for it after eluding its rescuer for nearly an hour.

A security guard at an apartment in Pune in western India saw a 6-feet-long rat snake slithering into an old scooter, which had not been used for some time.

He checked the scooter from a safe distance but did not find any sign of the non-venomous snake.

To play it safe, the apartment residents called rescuer Saidas Kusal, who also checked the scooter and managed to get a few glimpses of the snake.

The reptile, which had managed to bury itself very cleverly below the headlight, decided to stay put.

Several attempts to make the snake come out on its own by shaking the scooter and hitting the vehicle with sticks failed.

After trying to dislodge the snake for nearly an hour, Kusal decided to dismantle the scooter to reach it.

The snake then suddenly jumped out of its hideout and started fleeing. Kusal gave it a quick chase and captured it easily. It was later released into the wild.

Kusal said: “The snake was reluctant to leave its new home. I managed to catch its tail for a moment, but the snake was so deep inside, it would have gotten hurt if I had pulled it out. So, I had to let go.”

This was the stunning moment a well-hidden rat snake decided to make a run for it after eluding its rescuer for nearly an hour.

A security guard at an apartment in Pune in western India saw a six-feet-long rat snake slithering into an old scooter, which had not been used for sometime.

He checked the scooter from a safe distance but did not find any sign of the non-venomous snake.

To play it safe, the apartment residents called rescuer Saidas Kusal, who also checked the scooter and managed to get a few tantalising glimpses of the snake.

The snake, which had managed to bury itself very cleverly below the headlight, decided to stay put.

Several attempts to make the snake come out on its own by shaking the scooter and hitting the vehicle with sticks failed. After trying to dislodge the snake for nearly an hour, Saidas decided to dismantle the scooter to reach out to it.

The snake then suddenly jumped out of its hideout and started fleeing. Saidas gave it a quick chase and captured it easily. It was released later in the wild.

Saidas said: “The snake was reluctant to leave its new home. I managed to catch its tail for a moment, but the snake was so deep inside, it would have gotten hurt if I had pulled it out. So, I had to let go.”