A huge rat snake sank its fangs into a reptile expert in western India recently while the man was trying to rescue the creature from a well.

Akash Jadhav used ropes to descend the steep sides of the water source near Ahmednagar on June 15 after receiving reports that a snake was trapped there.

He grabbed hold of the large reptile with one free hand but it bit him on the leg and refused to let go.

Jadhav's team hauled him to the surface quickly as he clung onto the snake.

“Though I have rescued hundreds of snakes, a snake bite is always a nasty surprise. I panicked and had to be pulled up in a rush," said Jadhav.

The snake was released shortly after the incident.

Rat snakes are not poisonous but their bites can be painful.

A rat snake fell into a 100-feet irrigation well at a village near Ahmednagar in western India. The farmer, who owned the well, called Animal Rescue Society and a team led by Akash Jadhav rushed to the village.

Akash went down the well to rescue the over six-feet long adult snake and managed to catch it by its tail.

The snake turned out to be unexpectedly agile and fought to free itself.

As the rescuer, who was hanging with the help of a harness, and had just one hand free, struggled to keep his grip on, the snake bit him.

Though rat snakes are non venomous, their bites can sting. Akash struggled to free himself, the snake which had sunk his teeth into his leg, refused to let go.

Hearing his painful cries, Akash’s team pulled him up along with the snake. He took a while to recover from the trauma and released the snake in the wild later.

Akash said: “Though I have rescued hundreds of snakes, a snake bite is always a nasty surprise. I panicked and had to be pulled up in a rush.”