A 5-feet-long long rat snake was spotted with its head trapped inside an abandoned beer can in Bhubaneswar in eastern India. A few local youths saw the stranded snake and called Snake Helpline.

Subhendu Mallik, General Secretary of Snake Helpline, reached the spot with another volunteer Niharika Mohapatra who removed the snake from the bushes and cut the can with a metal cutter as another rescuer Purnachandra Das held down the snake.

The snake was found unhurt and was released back to wild at the same spot.

Mohapatra said: "People should properly crush cans after use and should not throw them in the open.”

Mallik said: "This is another case of faulty waste disposal. Abandoned cans become refuse for small frogs, toads, rodents and other reptiles. Snakes insert their head in search of prey and get trapped."