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
