BALASORE: Wildlife officials of Balasore Division on Saturday rescued an 11-feet wounded king cobra from a fight with a mongoose at the foothills of Panchalingeswar in Nilagiri and released it into the Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary after treatment.
The reptile was spotted by locals during a long and violent scuffle with a mongoose at a place close to Panchalingeswar on Saturday. It suffered minor injuries as it tried to escape. While the fight between the king cobra and the mongoose held the attention of bystanders busy capturing videos, some concerned locals informed the Forest department.
Kuldiha Range Bjay Mohapatra said a team of forest personnel, at the direction of Balasore DFO Biswaraj Panda, rushed to the spot with snake rescuer Manoranjan Das and rescued the wounded king cobra from the mongoose.
The reptile was immediately taken to Nilagiri veterinary clinic for treatment. Veterinary officials said the king cobra suffered minor wounds and was kept under observation before being released near a wetland in Tenda forest inside the sanctuary.