A 2-year-old boy in Bihar, India, Govinda Kumar, shocked his family and doctors after he bit a venomous cobra to death.
The bizarre event unfolded in Bankatwa village when the toddler encountered the three-foot snake while playing near his home.
According to his grandmother, Mateshwari Devi, the snake slithered close and wrapped itself around the child’s hand.
But instead of crying or running, young Govinda reportedly sank his teeth into the snake’s head, fatally wounding it.
“He grabbed the cobra and bit its head,” Devi said. “We saw the snake coiled around his hand, and he had the snake’s head in his mouth. We immediately separated them.”
The child lost consciousness shortly after, likely due to venom exposure through his mouth.
He was first taken to a local health center before being transferred to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Bettiah for specialized treatment.
Dr. Saurab Kumar, a pediatrician at GMCH, described the case as “highly unusual.”
While snakebite cases are common during India’s rainy season, this was the first time they’d seen a child survive after biting a venomous snake and ingesting part of it.
“His face and mouth were swollen, which indicated a reaction to the venom in his mouth,” Dr. Kumar said. “Thankfully, the venom didn’t enter his bloodstream, which could have been fatal.”
The child was given anti-allergy treatment and monitored closely for 48 hours.
When no further symptoms developed, he was discharged from the hospital.
As for the snake, it reportedly died instantly from the trauma inflicted by the toddler’s bite.
Medical experts emphasized the rare nature of the case, pointing out that cobra venom is deadly when injected into the bloodstream, but in this instance, the venom traveled through the digestive system, allowing doctors to manage the situation effectively.
Govinda is now recovering at home, while his story has left both his community and doctors stunned.
