In a dramatic rescue operation in western India’s Maharashtra, a Forsten’s cat snake was safely retrieved from a seventh-floor apartment and later released back into the wild.

The incident took place in the Royal Palms of Mumbai city on November 11.

Visuals showed a snake catcher carefully rescuing the snake from the kitchen window, navigating the narrow space to safely handle the reptile. The rescuer then placed the snake in a secure bag to ensure its safe transport back to its natural habitat.

According to reports, the snake was rescued by wildlife enthusiast and snake catcher Kaushal Dubey, who explained, “On Monday night, I received an urgent call around 9 pm from a family at Royal Palms in Mumbai, reporting a snake inside their home. The snake had become trapped in the kitchen window grill on the 7th floor. The family was baffled by how it reached such a height, but being an arboreal species, it likely climbed up the building’s drainage pipes. Fortunately, the snake was safely rescued and released.”

The Forsten’s cat snake (Boiga Forsteni) is a semi-venomous species, primarily feeding on small birds, eggs, and lizards.