• They had managed to catch the cobra and put it into a bottle   
• Even though we tried calling relevant authorities to hand over the snake there  was no response  

By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya   

The sudden appearance of a cobra inside the Accident Ward of the Colombo National Hospital caused panic and pandemonium yesterday.   

Chief Nurse of the Colombo National Hospital Pushpa Ramyani De Soysa said that security officers at the hospital had taken great efforts to capture the cobra before anyone was bitten.   

“The cobra had suddenly appeared in the accident unit. They managed to catch the cobra and put it into a bottle. A hole had been made in the bottle to enable the serpent to breathe. Even though we tried calling the relevant authorities to hand over the snake no one responded so in the end, a friend of ours finally agreed to take the cobra to be set free in a forest away from Colombo,” she said.   

She said although cats and other small animals have been found in the hospital before, this was the first time that a cobra had appeared inside the ward. She said that they had no idea how it came into the premises.   

Chief Nurse of the Colombo National Hospital Pushpa Ramyani De Soysa said that security officers at the hospital had taken great efforts to capture the cobra before anyone was bitten. “The cobra had suddenly appeared in the accident unit. They managed to catch the cobra and put it into a bottle.

A hole had been made in the bottle to enable the serpent to breathe. Even though we tried calling the relevant authorities to hand over the snake no one responded so in the end, a friend of ours finally agreed to take the cobra to be set free in a forest away from Colombo,” she said. She said although cats and other small animals have been found in the hospital before, this was the first time that a cobra had appeared inside the ward. She said that they had no idea how it came into the premises.