It sounds like the snake didn't have a chance.

Link

--‘Killed it on the spot’: Infant bites cobra to death after it coiled around his hands--

An infant in the northern Indian state of Bihar reportedly bit a 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.

And when he grows up, he'll need a basket and one of those Indian flutes.

Govinda Kumar - Hindi for "Chuck Norris"...

quote:

Originally posted by dsiets:


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.

Fifty thousand deaths a year. Really?

Kid just earned a cool nickname - they should just call him Mongoose from now on.

-Rob

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
Govinda Kumar - Hindi for "Chuck Norris"...

quote:

Originally posted by Schmelby:
Fifty thousand deaths a year. Really?

Not only does India have a insanely high human population (1.5b), but they also have A LOT of poisonous snakes: king cobra's, most kraits, Russel Viper, Scaled Viper, all sorts of sea snakes... after Australia I believe India has the most variety of venomous snakes.

Trends in snakebite deaths in India from 2000 to 2019 in a nationally representative mortality study

quote:

The World Health Organization call to halve global snakebite deaths by 2030 will require substantial progress in India. We analyzed 2833 snakebite deaths from 611,483 verbal autopsies in the nationally representative Indian Million Death Study from 2001 to 2014, and conducted a systematic literature review from 2000 to 2019 covering 87,590 snakebites. We estimate that India had 1.2 million snakebite deaths (average 58,000/year) from 2000 to 2019. Nearly half occurred at ages 30–69 years and over a quarter in children < 15 years. Most occurred at home in the rural areas. About 70% occurred in eight higher burden states and half during the rainy season and at low altitude. The risk of an Indian dying from snakebite before age 70 is about 1 in 250, but notably higher in some areas. More crudely, we estimate 1.11–1.77 million bites in 2015, of which 70% showed symptoms of envenomation. Prevention and treatment strategies might substantially reduce snakebite mortality in India.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: corsair,

Chuck Norris’s love child?

quote:

"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.
[...]
The venom’s effects were reportedly mild, only knocking the boy unconscious, but not fatal.

quote:

Originally posted by dsiets:

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.

.

And they still have enough people for the Help Desk.

I wonder why the snake didnt inject all of its venom? I know snakes save some just in case. Kid is lucky.

From the article, it reads like the kid fatally bit the cobra before it could return the favor. He appeared to have been exposed to the venom which is a neurotoxin but it does not stipulate how.

I have always been under the impression that snake venoms must be introduced directly to the bloodstream to have the full effects so if he indeed ingested venom, his body was far more likely to shrug off its effects after his digestive enzymes destroyed it. It could have also been a case of a dry or very limited envenomation bite; children are far more susceptible to succumbing to snake bites as opposed to adults so a full bite would undoubtedly be fatal to such a low body mass. A very lucky child indeed.

This kid is a legend. At 1 years old he fought a cobra to the death and won by using his teeth. At 2 years old he skinned a live tiger because he wanted a coat. At 3 years old he joined the Indian special forces because they begged him. At 4 years old he made his first billion by taking on Florida Man in a cage match on pay per view. At 5 we lose touch with Govinda as he set out alone to the mountains to live in peace.

It seems odd.
I don't think I would have the jaw strength to bite a snake hard enough to kill it.
How does a 1-year old accomplish that?

I wouldn't be surprised if this story was embellished a bit.
That's a serious snake and for the kid to not only be able to bite and kill it and then not be bitten badly enough to survive is a stretch.
Might have been a slow news day or the Indian version of the National Enquirer (or both).

It is amazing the strength one has with a full adrenaline load on board.

I’m glad the little fellow is okay.

That said:

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:
I wouldn't be surprised if this story was embellished a bit.
That's a serious snake and for the kid to not only be able to bite and kill it and then not be bitten badly enough to survive is a stretch.
Might have been a slow news day or the Indian version of the National Enquirer (or both).

My thoughts exactly. I wouldn’t be surprised to see endorsement deals for the kid soon. Maybe the Indian version of MIRACLEwhip or PolyGRIP?

quote:

Originally posted by xd45man:
This kid is a legend. At 1 years old he fought a cobra to the death and won by using his teeth. At 2 years old he skinned a live tiger because he wanted a coat. At 3 years old he joined the Indian special forces because they begged him. At 4 years old he made his first billion by taking on Florida Man in a cage match on pay per view. At 5 we lose touch with Govinda as he set out alone to the mountains to live in peace.

At 6, his parents enroll him in private tennis lessons.

At 7, he's memorized Webster's Dictionary and wins his first of six national spelling bees.