A mole rat took refuge inside a discarded milk bottle in Bhubaneshwar in eastern India.

A 3.5 feet long Common cobra (Naja naja) sniffed the prey and put its head inside the bottle and killed the rat. After swallowing the prey it found that it could not take its head out and was trapped inside the bottle.

Getting a tip off a Snake Helpline volunteer Bideshi Mohapatra rescued the snake but was unable extricate it. He took the snake to the Snake Helpline office where
General Secretary of the organizationSubhendu Mallik successfully freed the deadly snake using coconut oil as a lubricant.

Subhendu Mallik said “The rat was stuck in the neck of the cobra. The swollen neck prevented the snake from retracting its head. Though it regurgitated the prey it was still unable to free itself.”