Two-year-old survives after sinking teeth into venomous snake in Bihar village; doctors call it a "highly unusual" case
Bihar, India — In a rare and startling incident, a two-year-old boy in eastern India survived a near-deadly encounter with a venomous cobra by biting it to death.
Govinda Kumar, a toddler from the village of Bankatwa in Bihar’s West Champaran district, shocked his family and later the medical community after he reportedly sank his teeth into a live cobra’s head, killing the snake instantly. The child, who ingested some of the deadly venom in the process, was treated in the hospital and later discharged after showing no signs of systemic poisoning.
The bizarre episode unfolded on Friday while Govinda was playing near his home. According to his grandmother, Mateshwari Devi, the child noticed the snake emerging from a pile of firewood and instinctively grabbed it. The cobra, around three feet in length, reacted by lunging and wrapping itself around the child’s hands.
Instead of crying or fleeing, the toddler bit down on the cobra’s head with such force that the snake died on the spot. “We rushed to him and saw he had taken the cobra’s head in his mouth,” said Devi. “We immediately pulled the snake from his hands and mouth. Soon after, he fell unconscious.”
Govinda was first taken to a local health center and later referred to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Bettiah for specialist care. Dr. Saurab Kumar, associate professor at GMCH’s paediatrics department, described the incident as “highly unusual” and said it was unlike any snake-related case he had encountered.
“When the child arrived, he was alert but had facial swelling and an allergic reaction due to the venom exposure in his oral cavity,” Dr. Kumar said. “We were initially concerned that he might have been bitten, so we repeatedly questioned the family. But they confirmed the child had bitten the snake, not the other way around.”
Fortunately, the venom had not entered Govinda’s bloodstream, a critical distinction, as cobra venom can cause death by paralyzing the respiratory system within hours. Instead, the venom entered through the mouth and digestive tract, causing only localized allergic reactions. “We gave him anti-allergy medication and observed him closely. Since he showed no signs of neurotoxicity for 48 hours, we discharged him on Saturday,” Dr. Kumar added.
The cobra’s death was attributed to trauma from the child’s powerful bite. Wildlife experts note that while cobras are highly venomous, they are not invulnerable to physical harm. In this case, the toddler’s unexpected reaction likely stunned and fatally injured the snake.
India, which is home to over 300 species of snakes, 16 of which are considered highly venomous, sees frequent snakebite cases, especially during the rainy season. According to a study published in the journal eLife, over one million snakebite deaths were recorded in India between 2000 and 2019.
The "Big Four" snakes — the spectacled cobra, common krait, Russell’s viper, and saw-scaled viper — are responsible for the majority of these fatalities. Experts say climate change, monsoon flooding, and rapid urbanization have increasingly pushed snakes into human-inhabited areas.
While snakebite incidents remain a serious concern, the case of young Govinda Kumar stands out as a chilling but extraordinary example of survival — and reversal of roles in the predator-prey dynamic.
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