Kendrapara: Forest personnel today rescued a five foot long Indian cobra from a haystack in Purussottampur village, close to Mahakalpada forest block in Odisha's Kendrapara district.
The adult cobra, a protected species under Wild Protection Act, 1972 had strayed into the village.
However, it did not harm either the humans or the domesticated animals, a forest official said.
"After being informed of it, we rushed to the village and caught it alive with fishing net," Forest Range Officer, Mahakalpada, Bijoy Kumar Parida informed.
After rescuing the cobra, the forest officials released the reptile in the mangrove forest of Bhitarkanika, a safe habitat for snakes and lizards, he said.
Indian cobra is a venomous snake and biting by cobra often proves fatal.
However, unless provoked, cobras never attack humans and they are found attacking humans only in self-defence, forest officials said.