Now . . . if this story had hailed from the U.S. I would think that it was just a lawyer or a lobbyist.

Stray snake halts proceedings in state assembly

Thu Jul 23, 2009 9:22am EDT

BHUBANESWAR, India (Reuters) – A stray snake brought parliament to a standstill for several hours on Thursday in India’s Orissa state, officials said.

A cleaner spotted the intruder, believed to be a king cobra, while sweeping in the morning and called the assembly’s watchman.

The speaker of the assembly in the state capital Bhubaneswar adjourned the house as security personnel, wildlife officials and a member of a local snake helpline searched unsuccessfully for the creature with the help of a sniffer dog.

Snakes are straying more frequently into built-up areas because construction has driven the reptiles out of their habitat, wildlife expert Biswajit Mohanty said.

(Reporting by Jatindra Dash; Editing by Matthias Williams)