Famous snake-catcher Vava Suresh was bitten by a cobra while trying to capture it from a house at Kurichy in Kottayam, Kerala on Monday. He was then hospitalised and his condition is critical. As seen in a video that has surfaced online, Suresh tried to drive the snake into a bag but it bit him on the right thigh.
(Trigger warning: The visuals might be disturbing.)
Suresh gained fame after he became the go-to name for people who found snakes in their homes and backyards. He has reportedly rescued over 50,000 snakes and animals. He releases the snakes he rescues into the wild. This is not the first time Suresh’s life has been endangered because of his rescue missions.
In 2020, he was hospitalised after a viper bit him while he was trying to save it. His friends said that he was trying to rescue the viper from a well and the pit viper bit his finger. In earlier interviews, Suresh has admitted that he has been bitten over 300 times.
When Prince Charles had visited India in 2013, he met Vava Suresh and called him a ‘living wonder’. Charles had said, “Even an elephant dies within half an hour of a king cobra bite. Then how did you rescue so many king cobras? You are a living wonder.”
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)