India, June 11 -- Twenty-three highly venomous Russell's vipers, including 22 newborn snakes and their mother, were rescued from a tube well chamber at a house in Rajasthan's Dhikli village on Wednesday in what wildlife rescuers described as one of the rarest snake rescue operations in recent years.

The rescue was carried out by Dr Chaman Singh Chauhan, divisional president of the Wild Animal Rescue Centre and a world record holder in snake rescues, along with team member Lakshmilal Gameti.

According to Chauhan, the team received information about a snake sighting inside a tube well chamber located within a residential premises. What initially appeared to be a routine rescue operation soon turned into an extraordinary discovery.

"When ...