Kathmandu, Nov. 13 -- A 12-foot-long King Cobra, one of the world's most venomous snakes, was discovered alive in Devdaha Municipality of Rupandehi on Wednesday - marking the first recorded sighting of the rare species in Nepal's Tarai region.The snake was spotted at the home of Lemkumari Rana Magar in Devdaha-10 and was safely rescued by the Butwal Snake Rescue Team led by rescuer Bishal Pandey after nearly three hours of effort. The King Cobra measured 12 feet 3 inches in length and weighed around 7.2 kilograms.

According to Pandey, this is the first time a live King Cobra has been found in the area, though a dead one was discovered in Butwal's Phoolbari nearly 14 years ago. The rescued snake was later released into a safe habitat unde...