Video: Close-up of catching a giant cobra 4.6m long

A male cobra nearly 4.6 meters long was rescued and released into the forest by the authorities.

The Tamil Nadu Forest Department, India, rescued a 4.6 meter long male cobra from a private factory in Kadayam municipality of Tenkasi district.

The incident happened on November 16, near Govindaperi. Panic gripped the area after the cobra was discovered. Local people immediately informed forest officials.

Upon receiving the information, the authorities were present to rescue the cobra. After catching the poisonous snake, they put it in a sack and released it into the forest. The clip about the incident, after being posted on social networks, received a lot of interest and attention.

Last month, a similar incident also occurred in Kanniyakumara district, Tamil Nadu state. Locals informed the forest department after they spotted the king cobra. The reptile was later rescued by forest officials.

The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the longest venomous snake in the world. Adults are usually about 4 m long, but some can grow to more than 5.5 m long. They are distributed mainly in tropical forests stretching from India to Southeast Asia. This animal usually hunts during the day, targeting prey such as snakes, lizards, eggs and some small mammals. King cobras usually hunt on the ground, but they can also climb trees and swim underwater.

This venomous snake lives on the ground but climbs trees and swims very well. They are considered dangerous to humans as they often invade residential areas to feed.

King cobras usually avoid people but will become aggressive when threatened. The number of king cobras is decreasing due to shrinking habitat. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified them as endangered animals in the Red Book since 2010.