While police officers face many dangers, deadly snakes showing up at work is usually not one of them.
However, police in India dealt with just such a situation over the summer when at least three baby cobras were rescued from Hyderabad's Madhuranagar Police Station after officers spotted them slithering through the premises, according to The Siasat Daily.
Before their capture, the snakes' presence triggered panic among police personnel inside the station.
Here's what to know
After spotting the snakes, police personnel contacted the Friends of Snakes rescue team, The Siasat Daily reported. The rescuers removed the three cobras using a bucket and took them away from the station.
Video of the operation later appeared on social media, with The Siasat Daily (@thesiasatdaily) posting a copy to X. Police said the rescue was completed without any injuries.
At least three baby cobras were found in Hyderabad's Madhuranagar police station on Saturday, July 11. The sakelets entered the police station on Saturday mornign, causing panick among staff. The police callled Friends of Snakes oorganisation to rescue the cobras and take them to safety. A video shared on social media showed the three reptiles being placed in a bucket after they were rescued.
— The Siasat Daily (@TheSiasatDaily) July 11, 2026
Where did the snakes come from?
Police suspected that the young cobras had entered the station after traveling there from a nearby natural area.
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"The snakelets may have entered from the marshy area nearby," a police spokesperson said, per The Siasat Daily. "They have been safely removed from the police station premises."
How to stay safe when encountering wildlife
As human development has increasingly encroached on wildlife habitat, human-wildlife encounters have increased. Though most such interactions pass without incident, they can still be dangerous for humans, their pets, and wildlife.
Experts say that when encountering wildlife, it is important to remember that wild animals are not pets and that they can act unpredictably. Even some fairly familiar, everyday wildlife can pose an unexpected risk to humans.
"At the Grand Canyon, the number one reason people end up at the clinic is from squirrel bites," said Kathy Kupper, a spokesperson for the U.S. National Park Service, as quoted by National Geographic.
For everyone's safety, it is illegal to approach, harass, or feed any type of wildlife in national parks.
"No matter the size, no matter how harmless or safe they appear," Kupper said, per National Geographic.
When it comes to human-wildlife encounters, such advice holds true outside national parks as well.
Where can I learn more?
Snakes sometimes turn up in unexpected places, including homes and public buildings. Recent reports have covered baby snakes in a water tank, cobras inside houses, a guarded python nest in Florida, and warnings about snakes moving into crowded settlements.
• In Haridwar, a family discovered 27 baby snakes inside a household water tank.
• In Florida, rescuers found a giant snake nest and warned that pythons fiercely guard eggs.
• In Kota, panic spread after cobras turned up in two homes, including one near ladoos.
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