A snake rescuer’s attempt to show off his skill by repeatedly kissing a wild cobra has landed him in trouble. <br /><br />Forest officials of Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra, India, filed a case against Mahendra Nagre after they came across a video of his daring stunt. <br /><br />The footage shows Nagre attempting to rescue a fully-grown cobra in an agricultural field near Parner town. <br /><br />The angry cobra, which has flared its hood in a defensive position, can be seen taking a swipe at Nagre, catching him off guard. But undeterred he moves on kiss the hood at least thrice in the part of the footage available to the officials. <br /> <br />He then puts the cobra in a bag to release it in a nearby forest. <br /><br />Deputy conservator of forests Sreelakshmi Annabhatula said a search warrant had been issued against Nagre.<br /><br />“Touching or improper handling of wildlife amounts to cruelty and is prohibited under the Wildlife Act of 1972,” she said. <br /><br />Akash Jadhav of Wildlife Protection and Social Work Society, Ahmednagar, said many snake rescuers liked to stage stunts without knowing they were breaking the law or taking huge risks.
