A 10-feet-long python was spotted inside an abandoned well near Bhubaneshwar in eastern India on January 5.

Two days later a team consisting of Snake Helpline, forest department and fire brigade officials went to rescue the snake. A candle was lowered to check the oxygen and then the depth of the well and the water level were measured.

Two Snake Helpline volunteers, Durgamadhab Mohapatra and Rajes Sutar, entered the well wearing body harnesses and stood in the 5 feet water. Seeing them the snake hid inside a crack in the wall. Pythons are great swimmers and can easily hold breath underwater for over 10 minutes.

The rescuers searched for the snake with a hook and teased it out. The python latched on to Durga's left leg and Rajes grabbed it by its tail. Both the rescuers had to use all their strength to capture the python and put it inside a bag.

It was then hauled up, examined and released in a local forest.

Subhendu Mallik, General Secretary of Snake Helpline, said the snake would have starved to death or died of cold before that. Thanks to the immense courage shown by our rescuers it survived.