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NEW DELHI: Amidst the COVID-19 crisis, a large venomous cobra snake was found to have taken refuge inside a scooter parked at the Sarai Kale Khan bus station in Delhi. The owner of the scooter, who is a priest from a nearby temple was shocked when he suddenly heard loud hissing from inside his scooter.

Confronted by the cobra, he panicked and contacted the authorities who requested the Wildlife SOS team to coax the four-foot-long cobra snake out of the scooter and safely extricate the venomous reptile.

Kartick Satyanarayan , co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS said, "At this difficult time when Corona Virus crisis has resulted in a nationwide lockdown , it's important for us to help each other. It's essential to remain sensitive to the plight of people and animals during this unprecedented health crisis. We are grateful to the Police, Forest Department and the Delhi Government for permitting the operation of the rescue hotline (+91-9871963535) despite the nationwide lockdown.

Keeping with health and safety guidelines, all rescue staff have access to gloves, face masks, alcohol-based hand sanitizers and other requisite equipment to stay safe."

Wasim Akram, Deputy Director-Special Projects, Wildlife SOS said "when our hotline received a frantic call about a cobra at the Sarai Kale Khan bus station, we knew this was a critical call. Our team rushed to the location to help the public and removed the snake safely".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his nationwide speech said, "People should be compassionate towards animals as they too have been impacted during this lockdown. Animals are finding it difficult to seek out food and water sources during this difficult time."

The Wildlife SOS team are working round the clock to provide essential service and protect the community and wildlife in distress.

