Man Goes To Hospital Holding Deadly Snake That Bit Him, Releases Reptile Later [Video]

A man in India left the staff of a hospital in shock after he entered the premises holding a deadly snake that had bitten him.

The man, identified as 30-year-old Kadappa, was working in his agricultural field when he was bitten on his hand by the cobra. The man informed his relative about it, who rushed him to the hospital on his motorcycle. The incident took place in the southern state of Karnataka on Sunday morning, The New Indian Express reported.

Staff and patients at the hospital were shocked when the man walked into the building holding the cobra in his hand. At the hospital, Kadappa was given first aid and administered the anti-venom. Since he had a deep bite mark on his hand, Kadappa was transported to another hospital, where he was admitted to the ICU.

Kadappa’s doctors told local media his condition had improved and he was out of danger.

A video of the incident has gone viral on social media. In the clip, the man can be seen holding the huge reptile and getting onto the motorcycle. Another video showed people trying to convince him to let go of the snake.

The video can be disturbing for some viewers:

Local media reported the man eventually listened to the villagers and released the snake in the wild.

Cobra is a highly venomous snake and one of the "big four" species responsible for most snakebites in India. They vary in color and pattern, and are common throughout the country except for high altitudes and deserts. Their venom can paralyze muscles and cause respiratory and cardiac failure.

Last month, a man in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu was caught on camera eating a dead snake. In the viral clip, the 50-year-old man was seen chewing on the dead reptile, saying he ate the snake to protect himself from coronavirus. The video was shown to a district forest officer, who asked his team to take the man into custody. He was arrested and fined Rs 7,000 ($96) for eating the reptile.