Deadly Snake Bites Zookeeper While He Was Cleaning Reptile Enclosure, Victim Dies

A zoo worker in India died Thursday after being bitten by a deadly snake while he was cleaning a shift cage in the reptile house.

The victim, identified as 45-year-old A. Harshad, was bitten by a king cobra after he moved the snake to a shift cage in the zoo in the southern state of Kerala.

Zoo Director S. Abu told media outlet The Hindu the process of cleaning such cages is to first move the reptile from the main enclosure to a shift cage. Once the main enclosure is cleaned, the snake is to be moved back to its original place before cleaning the shift cage. However, Abu believes Harshad tried to clean the shift cage while the snake was inside.

The CCTV camera footage reportedly showed Harshad entering the reptile house. A few hours later, another keeper found Harshad lying on the ground. While Harshad was conscious, he was unable to speak. Zoo authorities rushed him to the nearby government hospital where doctors pronounced him brought dead, local media Mathrubhumi reported.

Zoo authorities told the media a lock found on the shift cage hinted he had tried to free his arm from the snake. He also managed to lock the door to ensure that the snake remained inside. Officials said reptile keepers are given protective equipment such as snake tongs and gloves, and they usually do not come in contact with the snakes.

The king cobra, which bit and killed the keeper, was among the three brought from the Pilikula zoo in the state of Karnataka in March this year.

The king cobra is one of the most venomous snakes in the world, according to National Geographic. King cobras can reach 18 feet in length and can literally "stand up." King cobras live mainly in the rain forests and plains of India, southern China and Southeast Asia. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed the king cobra as vulnerable to extinction as they are killed during human-animal conflicts or are used for their skin and venom.