‘Killed it on the spot': Toddler bites cobra to death after it coiled around his hands
The one-year-old boy, identified only by his first name Govinda, bit the cobra while he was playing at his home in the small town of Bettiah near the Indo-Nepal border, according to local news reports.
"When we saw the snake in the child's hand, everyone rushed towards him, but in the meantime, he already bit the snake, killing it on the spot," the child's grandmother told local news.
After biting the snake, the boy fainted and was rushed to a primary health care centre for initial treatment, after which he was taken to the town's Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH).
'The boy, Govind Kumar, was referred here yesterday by the primary health centre close to his village where he was rushed by family members after he fainted soon after chewing on the live snake,' hospital superintendent Duvakant Mishra told Indian Express.
The venom's effects were reportedly mild, only knocking the boy unconscious, but not fatal.
"Timely treatment saved Govinda's life," Saurabh Kumar, a doctor of the government hospital, told the Times of India.
"The child's condition is currently stable and treatment is being administered under the supervision of doctors. The medical team is treating the child, providing continuous medication, and he is under observation,' Dr Kumar said.
Govinda reportedly is being closely monitored at GMCH Bettiah with treatment for poisoning expected to start if he started showing any symptoms, according to local news reports.
India has around 300 species of snakes, including 60 highly venomous snakes such as the Russell's vipers, kraits, and the saw-scaled viper, which are responsible for most of the bite-related deaths.
The Indian cobra completes this list of the "big four" species responsible for the most snakebites in India.
The country recorded over a million snake bite deaths in just two decades from 2000-19, according to a study published in 2020 in the journal eLife.
More than two-thirds of the recorded deaths came from eight of India's 28 states, including Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.
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BBC News
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"I was able to return to work after four months of rest, and whenever there's a health issue with me or the baby, Kalyani didi is just a phone call away." -- For essential climate news and hopeful developments to your inbox, sign up to the Future Earth newsletter, while The Essential List delivers a handpicked selection of features and insights twice a week. For more science, technology, environment and health stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
One year old 'wonder boy' wey bite cobra snake to death
Dis one year old boy don turn local celeb afta tori comot say im bite poisonous cobra snake to death for July 24. Little Govind Kumar bin dey play for im family garden for Mohchi Bankatwa for Bihar state India, wey dey close to border wit Nepal wen im see di snake. "Im mama bin dey work for di back garden,' na so im grandma Matisari Devi tok. "E catch di snake and use teeth bite am. We come notice say na cobra snake" na so Govind loose consciousness dat time, im family rush am go local hospital. "Wen we admit di child, im face bin swell up especially im mouth side," na wetin Dr Kumar Saurabh tok. Im be di doctor wey treat Govind for Goment Medical College for Bettiah wey be capital of Bihar. E tok say dat same day im also treat anoda pikin wey cobra snake bite. Say both pikins now dey healthy. Dr Saurabh explain say though di two cases dey harmful to humans, one dey much more dangerous. "Wen cobra bite human, im venom dey enta human bloodstream and cause neurotoxicity wey dey affect our nervous system. Dis fit lead to death," na so e tell BBC. "Wen humun bite cobra, di poison go reach our digestive system. Di human body go neutralize am and di poison go pass through." Na wetin Dr Saurabh tok. E add say e for dey worst if to say di pikin get bleeding points for im digestive tract. India na home to nearly 300 snake species and more dan 60 of dem get venom and cobra dey considered as one of di most dangerous among dem. Dem don mark di kontri as 'di snakebite capital of di world" and di rate of death by snakebites don increase due to di Monsoon season. World Health Organization (WHO) estimate say around 81,000 to 130,000 pipo dey die sake of snake bites worldwide evri year. Between 2000 and 2019, average of 58,000 pipo dey die of snake bites for India per year according to WHO. But di number of deaths wey snakebite cause for di kontri still dey widely underreported sake of lack of access to medical care for areas wia di incidents dey happun, according to India Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Metro
4 days ago
- Metro
Toddler killed cobra by biting its head after snake lunged at him
A toddler has stunned his family after killing a venomous cobra – by biting its head. Two-year-old Govinda Kumar fought back after the cobra coiled itself around his arm while he played outside his home in Bankatwa village in India on Friday. Relatives said the boy saw the snake and threw a piece of brick at it, causing the snake to react and lunge at him. But the boy quickly reacted, biting the snake's head and killing it almost instantly. Govinda's grandmother, Mateshwari Devi, said: 'I was moving firewood near the house and the cobra came out. The child perhaps saw the snake moving and caught hold of it. 'When we saw the snake in the child's hand, everyone rushed towards him, but in the meantime, he already bit the snake, killing it on the spot.' Despite killing the snake Govinda was not unharmed – he lost consciousness not long after, due to swallowing some of the cobra. He was rushed to a local health centre before being moved to the Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH) in Bettiah for specialist care. Dr Surab Kumar, the medic in charge of treating the toddler, told The Telegraph: 'Timely treatment saved Govinda's life. The venom did affect Govinda, but not fatally. 'The child had eaten a part of the cobra and the venom had gone into his digestive tract, unlike in the cases where the cobra bites the person and venom goes into blood and triggers neurotoxicity. 'The child's condition is currently stable, and treatment is being administered under the supervision of doctors. 'The medical team is treating the child, providing continuous medication, and he is under observation. 'We were surprised and cross-checked with his parents multiple times to ensure the child was not bitten by the cobra to rule out that venom had not gone into his bloodstream.' More Trending While in hospital Govinda was given anti-allergy medication and was placed under doctors' observation until his discharge on Saturday. Cobras are highly venomous, their venom able to kill a human within hours by paralysing the respiratory system we use to breathe. They are one of the four most venomous snakes in India, alongside the common krait, Russel's viper, and saw-scaled viper. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Woman caught at customs with four snakes stuffed down her bra MORE: My mum died after getting rabies – here's what you need to know about it MORE: British families sent wrong bodies after Air India crash
