A 17-feet king cobra, which sneaked into human habitation supposedly from the Kuldiha sanctuary of Nilgiri in search of food, was rescued by Snake Helpline members on Sunday night and handed over to the Forest Department.
The highly venomous reptile had strayed into the backyard of one Antaryami Rout of Dholpur village in Oupada block.
After hearing hissing sound from the backyard, Rout informed forest officials and the Snake Helpline about it. Snake Helpline members reached the spot and recued the reptile and handed over to forest officials, who released it in the sanctuary on Monday.