HISAR: In a rare wildlife surgery, veterinarians at Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (LUVAS), Hisar, successfully operated on an injured cobra after discovering a plastic bag lodged inside its stomach. The case has also highlighted the growing threat of plastic pollution to wildlife and renewed warnings about the spike in snake sightings during the monsoon season.Assistant Professor Dr Sandeep Saharan from the university said the nearly 4-foot-long cobra was brought to the university by snake rescuer Gaurav, who noticed multiple injuries on the reptile. During examination under anaesthesia, doctors found abnormal swelling in the snake’s abdomen.“The cobra was first stabilised with oxygen support before being administered anaesthesia. On opening the abdomen, we found a black polythene bag inside its stomach, which was carefully removed. The surgical wound required 12 to 13 stitches,” Dr Saharan said.The one-hour surgery was carried out with the assistance of postgraduate student Rohit Dhull and veterinary interns. After receiving pain-relief medication, the cobra was handed back to the rescuer for rehabilitation. It will undergo a follow-up examination after 10 days before being released into the wild.Snake rescuer Gaurav, president of Animal Aid Foundation Trust, said the rescue operation initially appeared routine. “We received information that a cobra was trapped inside a drain at LUVAS. Its head was outside, but the body was stuck inside the drain. At first, we thought it had swallowed a frog, but the surgery revealed that a plastic bag had caused the swelling ,” he said.Monsoon triggers surge in snake rescuesGaurav said snake rescue calls increase sharply during the rainy season as reptiles often enter residential areas in search of shelter. “Snakes can even climb to the fourth floor of buildings during the monsoon. On Friday alone, we rescued many snakes from eight different locations,” he said.Among the rescues were 10 common kraits and one female krait found inside a well in Dhansu village, where two hatchlings were already dead. Two red snakes were rescued from houses on Kamri Road, while cobras were rescued from a room in Canal Colony, the second floor of a house in Sector-13, and a construction site in Barwala grain market.Common krait deadlier than cobraWarning residents to remain vigilant during the monsoon, Gaurav said the common krait, responsible for the highest number of snakebite deaths in India, is around five times more venomous than a cobra. “The common krait is a shy snake that often slips unnoticed into houses and may even crawl into beds while people are asleep, making its bites particularly dangerous,” he said, urging people not to panic or attempt to kill snakes but to immediately contact trained rescuers.
