Narrow escape for Kerala schoolboy as cobra hides under bicycle seat

A class 9 student at Kanjikode in Kerala's Palakkad district had a providential escape from a snake bite after finding a spectacled cobra coiled under his bicycle seat. The incident occurred around 9.30 am in the Nayarthara neighbourhood of Kanjikode as the young boy was preparing to head to school.

The student, who attends Kanjikode School, went to retrieve his bicycle which was parked in the front yard of his home. As he reached out and touched the seat, the venomous cobra reared up and spread its hood, emerging from beneath the saddle. Acting on pure instinct, the boy bolted from the spot.

The family immediately contacted local SARPA volunteers. Responding to the call, snake handlers M Mayilswamy and Santhosh Kanjikode rushed to the residence. They successfully captured the cobra and secured it safely inside a container. On the advice of the local Forest Department, the snake was later transported to a nearby area and safely released back into the wild.