In a rare veterinary procedure, surgeons at the Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (LUVAS) removed a black polythene bag from the stomach of an injured cobra during surgery, marking the first such case at the university.

The veterinary team carried out the hour-long operation at the university’s Veterinary Clinical Complex recently. The reptile was stitched up after the surgery and is now under observation.

Gaurav, popularly known as ‘Snake Man’ in the region for rescuing snakes, brought the injured cobra to the LUVAS veterinary clinic on Wednesday. During the operation, Assistant Professor Dr Sandeep Saharan and Dr Rohit Dhull noticed that a portion of the snake’s stomach was swollen and that a black object was protruding from the injured area. On opening the affected portion, they found and removed a black polythene bag.

Dr Saharan said the snake had swallowed the entire polythene bag. He said it was the first time the team had come across a case of a polythene bag inside a snake’s stomach. While similar cases had previously been reported in cows and buffaloes, finding polythene inside a snake was unusual and surprising, he added.

He said the surgery was performed meticulously and took about an hour to complete. The snake was later handed over to Gaurav, who will keep it under observation for 10 days before it is examined again and released into a forest area. The doctors also recorded a video of the surgery.

The cobra, measuring about five feet in length, was anaesthetised before the operation. As snakes have very smooth skin, the doctors found it difficult to maintain a firm grip during the procedure. They therefore used a pipe-shaped plastic sleeve to hold the snake securely while performing the surgery.

According to the veterinarians, the snake could have died if the polythene had remained in its stomach for a longer period. The doctors suspect the bag may have contained food that attracted the snake, possibly milk, prompting it to swallow the entire polythene bag.