This is the unusual moment three venomous king cobras tangled themselves around a tree after being released into the wild in India.
Guide Nilesh Wankhede, 32, captured the footage as the snakes climbed a tree in Melghat Tiger Reserve in western Maharashtra state.
Nilesh had rescued the snakes from three different places in Harisal village adjoining the reserve on Wednesday.
He said: ‘I have rescued hundreds of snakes in the last 20 years but never seen such a sight…it was astonishing to see the three together.’
The video shows the three king cobras hissing and flaring out their iconic hoods, as they wrap themselves around a tree trunk as three men watch on.
Nilesh says the snakes climbed the tree after they were released into the jungle.
‘It was a fascinating sight as they did not run to the grass or burrows.
‘They were hanging on the tree for good 15 minutes.’
He explained: ‘I had rescued them from the village after they were spotted in a range of places, one was captured from the range office.
‘The other was at a cow shed and the third one was hiding in a hut.
‘After rescuing them, along with a friend I took them to the jungle to release them in the wild.
‘The moment I released them from the bag, the three quickly moved and climbed a tree.’
The post was captioned ‘Magical Melghat, spotted 3 cobras in Harisal forest!’ and has been liked more than 5,600 times.
King cobras can reach 18 feet, making them the longest of all venomous snakes.
Their poison is not the most potent among venomous snakes. However, the amount of neurotoxin they can deliver in a single bite—up to two-tenths of a fluid ounce—is enough to kill 20 people, or even an elephant.
Nilesh said: ‘I feel fortunate to have seen this unique moment. The snakes are highly venomous and there could have been an accident but they did not attack us.’
