A driver in southeast India discovered a snake had slithered under his car bonnet while driving on a highway, prompting an unorthodox rescue. <br /><br />Debraj Pattnaik, a resident of Cuttack, Odisha was returning home from Bhubaneswar by the bust highway on March 8, when he was shocked to see a snake crawling on the windshield of his car. <br /><br />A terrified Debraj stopped his car immediately and jumped out. He then called Snake Helpline, who rushed a volunteer, Rajesh Sutar, to the spot. <br /><br />Rajesh identified the snake to be a non-venomous Checkered Keelback Snake. While he easily grabbed the head of the snake, freeing its body from underneath the bonnet was tricky. <br /><br />The bonnet was opened and Rajesh gently removed the snake and released it later in a nearby habitat.<br /><br />Subhendu Mallik, founder of Snake Helpline, said: “Drivers panic when they spot snakes in their moving vehicles and suffer mishaps. Debraj kept his presence of mind and pulled over safely.”
