Cobra spits out dead rat snake

CUDDALORE: A cobra, which could not move after swallowing its prey - a rat snake - and got stuck in a four-inch hole in a drain, was rescued by a self-taught snake catcher and rescuer in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu. The cobra spat out its prey while being rescued.
V Selvam alias Chellaa, 36, who has been rescuing snakes that venture into human habitation, received a call from security personnel at Cuddalore Sipcot Industrial Estate on Tuesday that a cobra was found swallowing a snake in a drain on the industrial estate premises.
"I reached the industrial estate in 30 minutes and found a six-foot-long cobra struck in a four-inch hole in the drain. The security guards said they saw the cobra swallowing a snake. The mobility of a snake will be affected after swallowing its prey. The bigger the prey, the tougher the mobility. I caught the cobra using a stick. When I rescued, the cobra started spitting out its dead prey. Cobra had swallowed a four-and-half-foot rat snake. I will release the cobra along with a dozen snakes caught in the last two days in a nearby forest," said Chellaa.