NEW KERALA (India) 03 September 06 Orissa surgeons rescue injured cobra

Bhubaneswar (IANS): A male cobra got a new lease of life after veterinary surgeons in Orissa treated its fractured bones and released him into the wild again.

"The four-feet long cobra, which is around four-years-old, was injured after it was run over by a motor cycle on National Highway 5 on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar about 15 days ago," Subhendu Mallik, who rescued the snake, told IANS.

Mallik and three of his friends have set up a snake helpline, which catches snakes that slither into people's homes and releases them into the forests.

"I saw the snake lying with people surrounding around him. With the help of others, I brought the cobra to the veterinary hospital at the Orissa University of Technology and handed over the reptile to the veterinary surgeons," Mallik said.

"The doctors conducted an X-ray and found eight of his bones fractured. Since the bones are elastic in nature and difficult to join, Tapan Patnaik and other surgeons adopted the splinting method to treat the cobra and avoid surgery," he added.

Mallik, who is a post-graduate in agricultural engineering, further explained that the surgeons fitted the snake with a Plaster of Paris cast inside a 10x4 cm cylinder, made out of a plastic syringe, to allow the fractures to heal.

Said Tapan Patnaik: "When we removed the cast Saturday, we found that he had recovered fully."

Mallik added: "We released the snake into the Bharatpur National Park located on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. We are happy that we saved the life of a snake."

Besides Bhubaneswar, Mallik and his team are sought by people in neighbouring towns like Cuttack and Puri also.
Orissa surgeons rescue injured cobra

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