Thiruvananthapuram: An animal keeper at the Trivandrum Zoo died after allegedly being bitten by a king cobra on Thursday, people familiar with the matter said. The zoo authorities have announced a probe into the death.

The zoo has three king cobras. Two of them were in an enclosure and the third, in a separate one, a zoo official said on condition of anonymity. It is the third snake that is believed to have bitten Harshad. According to zoo officials, Harshad was in charge of providing food to the animals. CCTV footage showed him entering the snake's cage at 12.15 pm to clean the place and feed the animal.

When he was missing for a while, his colleagues came looking for him and found him lying in the cage. He was taken to the Medical College hospital at around 2.15 pm but doctors declared him dead, saying he had passed away 30 minutes back. His colleagues recall Harshad, 45, as a very hardworking and dedicated worker. Kerals's Zoos and Animal Husbandry Ministry, J. Chinchurani said it is a very sad day for the zoo.

Wildlife experts said king cobra bites are rare and they usually prey on other snakes, especially rat snakes and lizards.

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