An Indian man was attacked by a snake while he was sleeping. He immediately fought back, biting the snake back in revenge.
Santosh Lohar, 35, is a railway worker living in Nawada, Bihar, India. On the evening of July 4, Lohar returned to the railway workers’ rest camp after a tiring day at work and fell into a deep sleep.
While sleeping, Lohar was suddenly attacked by a snake.
There is a superstition in India that if you are bitten by a snake, you should bite it back to get revenge and neutralize the venom. So Lohar dealt with the situation by biting the snake that attacked him.
After being bitten hard twice by Lohar, the snake died, but Lohar himself had to be hospitalized due to the snake’s venom.
Santosh Lohar recovers in hospital after life-and-death battle with venomous snake (Photo: TOI).
Luckily, Lohar was taken to the hospital by his colleagues in time, so his life was not in danger. He has now been discharged and returned home.
The snake that attacked Lohar was not mentioned, but India has one of the highest numbers of venomous snake bites in the world. India’s most prominent are the “big four” snakes, which are responsible for the most human deaths in the country: the Indian cobra, the Indian krait, the Russell’s viper, and the saw-scaled viper.
What to do after being bitten by a snake?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in case of a venomous snake bite, medical help should be sought immediately. The sooner a victim of a venomous snake bite receives medical help, the better the chances of preventing complications and reducing the risk of long-term disability or death.
If bitten by a venomous snake, move the victim away from the area where the snake is, immediately remove tight clothing or jewelry such as rings, watches, etc. to avoid swelling of the wound causing necrosis. Absolutely do not cut the wound or suck out the venom, this will make the wound more serious.
If it is not clear whether the attacking snake possesses hematotoxic venom (causing wound necrosis) or neurotoxic venom (causing respiratory failure leading to death), the first aid provider should never apply a tourniquet to the victim.
While transporting the victim to a medical facility, keep the bite site lower than the heart. Keep the victim calm and limit movement, because more movement or loss of calm will increase the heart rate, which will cause the venom to move through the victim’s body faster.