Why you shouldn’t kiss a snake
No, this is not about hooking up with untrustworthy people. It’s about real snakes and why one should not be kissing them. In a tragic incident on February 2, Navi Mumbai resident Somnath Mhatre, who is a professional snake rescuer, died after getting bit by a cobra. Mahtre, who was kissing the reptile’s head as a part of a photo-op, was bitten and subsequently succumbed to the fatal attack.
According to a Mid-Day report, Mhatre is the 31st snake rescuer to die in the last 12 years from snakebite while performing this common stunt.
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| Somnath Mahtre, who was kissing the reptile’s head as a part of a photo-op, got fatally bitten. [Photo: Mid-Day] |
Mahtre, who had rescued more than 100 snakes, had gone to save a snake from a car at CBD Belapur. But after rescuing the cobra, he took it to another location where he was trying to kiss the cobra on its head, when suddenly, the snake turned and bit Somnath on his chest. Mahtre was hospitalised for five days at a hospital in Navi Mumbai, before he died.
Activists are trying to raise awareness among snake rescuers by telling them to not try such fatal stunts with reptiles. These activists are calling upon the forest department to issue guidelines to prevent such incidents. They have also asked for the department to take action against those involved in performing and posting pictures stunts like these.
According to Mid-Day, herpetologist and wildlife photographer Kedar Bhide said that incidents such as these are harming snake conservation work as well as undermining the Wildlife Protection Act, by illegal handling and hoarding of snakes.