Watch: Rare Albino Cobra Rescued in Dhenkanal 

A rare albino cobra was rescued by snake helpline member from Renandapatna area in Bhuban police limits of Dhenkanal district on Monday.

According to reports, Mohan Jena, a resident of the village dialed the local snake helpline authorities seeking help in capturing a cobra that had strayed into his house. 

The reptile about 4 to 5 feet in length was later released into the wild after snake helpline member from Kamakhyanagar, Subrat Rout rescued the cobra from Jena's house.

Albino cobra, one of the rare types of cobras found in the world, possess a distinct white colour all over their body due to some alteration in pigmentation. They are generally monocled but albinism has also been found in the spectacled cobras as well.  

Albino cobras are known by the name Shankha Naga in local parlance. Although found in many places of Odisha and outside, they mostly inhabit cold climates in the Indian subcontinent, especially in and around the foothills of the Himalayas. 

These cobras have a huge demand in the international market due to medicinal extracts from their poison and thus are mostly victims of illegal smuggling by peddlers who capture and sell them to earn hefty profits.