In a scenario reminiscent of Nissim Ezekiel’s poem ‘Night of the Scorpion,’ which describes a scorpion seeking refuge under a sack of rice during heavy rain, a dramatic incident occurred in Udupi district. A nine-foot-long King Cobra slithered into a bedroom, possibly searching for a warm, dry spot amid the downpour.
Fortunately, unlike the poet’s mother who was stung by the scorpion, the King Cobra was safely captured by snake rescuers before it could cause any harm. The snake was discovered coiled inside a box in the bedroom of a house in Someshwara village near Hebri.
Ajay Giri, field director of the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station (ARRS), and his team rescued the snake on Thursday. The rescue operation was documented in a video that went viral on social media the following day. The incident began when a household member spotted the snake’s tail protruding from an open metal box and alerted the ARRS. Upon inspection, Giri and his team found the King Cobra inside the box.
Giri explained to TOI that the snake was later released into the Agumbe forest. He speculates that the reptile may have entered the house via a tree branch that extended to one of the windows, seeking refuge from the heavy rain.