Biting a snake back won't stop its venom, no matter what some people claim.
In eastern India, a man reportedly killed a cobra with his teeth after he stepped on it by accident.
Here's what to know
Gulf Today reported that Dharamsingh Khadia was walking to his field in Karmapada village in Odisha's Jharsuguda district when he stepped on a cobra. The snake flared its hood and moved toward him, and Khadia allegedly grabbed it and bit its neck. The cobra didn't survive.
Khadia said a traditional healer had told him that biting a snake back after it strikes would stop the venom from taking hold.
He soon felt unwell, so his family took him to Govindpur Hospital. Doctors said he was stable but monitored him for 24 hours just to be safe, Gulf Today noted.
Snake Helpline honorary secretary Suvendu Mallik said Khadia's body showed no signs of a snakebite. He called the idea of biting a snake back "completely false and extremely dangerous."
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More background
Experts stressed that biting a snake can't make its venom harmless and that trying to catch or kill one can put a person in danger.
Run-ins such as this one often occur when human activity overlaps with animal habitat.
What can be done?
"A suspected snakebite should be treated as a medical emergency, and the victim should seek immediate medical attention rather than relying on traditional remedies or attempting to handle the snake," Dr. Ashok Acharya, director of Hi-Tech Medical College and Hospital in Bhubaneswar, said, per Gulf Today.
Mallik called for action against traditional healers who spread this advice and warned that the belief could endanger lives.
Khadia got lucky that the cobra never bit him, according to Dr. Satyaprakash Dora of the Sub-Divisional Hospital in Kuchinda. "He has done a wrong thing. You should not bite a cobra," Dora said, per Gulf Today.
Where can I learn more?
For more information on snake encounters and why fast treatment matters, check out these related stories.
• In Bihar, a toddler bit a cobra after mistaking the snake for a toy.
• Across India, rising temperatures are increasing dangerous snakebite encounters and straining public health systems.
• Worldwide, venomous snakes are expanding into new areas as climate pressures intensify.
• At a Hurghada resort, a cobra slithered up a tourist's pants during a show.
• On Uzbekistan's steppe, a wild Caspian cobra drew attention for its potent venom.
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