Soft drink cans turn death traps for Cobras

Wildlife activists in Odisha have advised the residents of the state capital Bhubaneswar and adjoining towns to properly dispose of used tin beer and soft drink cans to save snakes, particularly cobras, from dying.

The appeal has come in the wake of a couple of instances in which cobras were found getting trapped after entering into disposed empty tin cans while in search of their favourite food—frogs. In both the cases the snakes had to be brought to the operation theatre of a government-run veterinary college and hospital in the city to free them and provide them treatment.

“When the snakes see an empty tin can they enter into it with the hope that they will find a frog inside. They struggle to come out after getting trapped and in the process sustain injuries in their body. There is a possibility of the injuries leading to death. Therefore, we appeal to the people who consume canned beer and soft drinks to dispose off the containers properly after using them,” said Subhendu Mallick of Bhubaneswar Snake Helpline, a non-governmental organisation which had rescued the two trapped cobras.

While one cobra was rescued from Patrapara area of the city, the second one had been brought in from Kakatpur, a small town a few kilometers away from Bhubaneswar. The veterinary doctors at the hospital of the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology had to work hard to free the reptiles. Bhubaneswar is known for its huge snake population, particularly cobras.