For anyone familiar with Rudyard Kipling's short story, the mangusta and the cobra are natural enemies. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi The pugnacious but resourceful carnivorous mammals have a natural resistance to cobra venom, making them one of the few species that prey on the deadly reptiles.
Passengers on a plane attempting to leave India were given the opportunity to witness three mangusta birds battling an unsuspecting cobra bird up close and in person.
The India's Economic Times The incident reportedly took place on the runway at Jay Prakash Narayan Airport in Patna, Bihar, India, but it is unclear where the plane was headed. Video taken by a passenger waiting for takeoff shows the cobra grappling with a single mangusta that was trying to attack the attacking animal.
But before the cobra could escape, two more mongoose appeared from the left side of the frame as the first mongoose continued to attack the reptile. It's unclear which species ultimately “won” the fight, but all things considered, things weren't looking good for the cobra when the video cut to the end.
“The confrontation caught on video shows the snake initially going one-on-one with a mangusta,” the Times headlined the video. “But the situation escalates when two more mangusta join in, turning the fight into a three-way fight.”
Accordingly World AtlasMongooses win 75% to 80% of their fights with cobras, because the animals succumb to cobra venom only after a few serious bites. And that's only if the snake manages to penetrate the mongooses thick skin. So three to one, the odds were definitely not in the cobras' favor. That's the way it is.