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| Man Bites Snake to Death |
If you were bitten by a snake while sleeping, what would your first reaction be? To scream? Jump out of bed? Run?
Santosh Lohar had a different reaction—he bit the snake to death in retaliation.
The 35-year-old from Panduka, Jharkhand in India, was sleeping when the reptile attacked him. In response, he quickly grabbed the snake with an iron rod and bit it twice.
The incident occurred at a laborer’s base camp where railway lines were being laid in a forested area.
When asked why he bit the snake back, Lohar told India Today: “In my village, there’s a belief that if a snake bites you, you must bite it back twice to neutralize the venom.”
Snake Venom
Although a venomous snake bite can be lethal, a human biting the snake has little consequence. It simply puts the person at risk of another attack.
This is because snake venom is stored in the reptile’s gland and is only harmful when it enters the bloodstream. Otherwise, it’s just a protein-like substance.
In fact, snake venom has been used in medicine to treat many conditions, including cancer, high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, and Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
The type of snake that attacked Lohar has not been confirmed. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, given an anti-venom antidote, and released the following day.
Indian Snakes
India is home to nearly 300 snake species, with more than 60 being highly venomous. These include the Indian Cobra, Russell’s viper, the common krait, and the saw-scaled viper.
These are often called the ‘Big Four’ due to their powerful venom and the number of snake bites they cause each year⁴⁵. Bihar, the region where the railway construction was underway, is one of the top three states in India for snakebite incidents, accounting for roughly 4,500 annual deaths.
