A team from Wildlife Rescue Society of India went to a village near Ahmednagar in western India to rescue three huge cobras that were stranded in an irrigation pond.

The snakes had fallen into the pond while looking for prey and were unable to climb the slippery walls on their own.

Akash Jadhav and two team members got into the pond and waded through the water to catch the cobras.

The snakes swam away from the rescuers, and when cornered they turned aggressive, and tried to attack. But the rescue team was experienced enough to capture the snakes and put them in a bag.

The last snake was exceptionally slippery and the rescuers had to use a long rope to lift it above water to stop it from running.

Akash said: “The pond was silted up, so even a simple walk across the water was an ordeal. Running behind these deadly snakes and handling their aggression at such proximity was stressful.”

The snakes were released in the wild later.