Dead Snakes can still bite: Moodbidri Doctor’s warns of lesser-known danger
Moodbidri: In a rare but significant medical advisory, senior clinician and medical researcher Dr. Sadananda Naik of Alva’s Health Centre, Moodbidri, has raised an alert about the hidden danger of venomous bites from dead snakes.
In a review article recently published in the reputed international medical journal Transactions of Royal Society Trop Med Hyg. 2025, Dr. Naik highlights the serious risk posed by dead or decapitated snakes. His study, titled Envenomation by Dead Snakes: A Review, points out that venom can remain active for several hours or even days after a snake’s death.
The article explains that the nerves in a snake’s head and neck can continue to function briefly after death, making reflex bites possible. This means that even a lifeless snake, or one that has been killed and decapitated, can still bite and inject venom when triggered.
Dr. Naik refers to several documented cases from around the world where individuals have been bitten while handling dead snakes, leading to serious health emergencies. In many such instances, victims were unaware of the danger and required urgent medical attention, including antivenom treatment and intensive care.
“This is especially common when people touch the snake’s head, try to take photos, or keep the severed head as a trophy,” Dr. Naik noted. He added that many people, especially in rural areas, are unaware of this risk and tend to treat dead snakes casually.
Dr. Naik has issued a strong advisory urging farmers, rural residents, and people living in snake-prone regions to avoid touching or handling dead snakes with bare hands. “A dead snake is not a safe snake,” he warned. Instead, he recommends using sticks or tools to move carcasses and disposing of them safely away from homes and animals.
The review also calls for increased public awareness through educational campaigns to ensure that communities understand the risks and adopt proper safety measures.
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Man thrown 50 ft into air as powerful storm lashes UP's Bareilly
Bareilly (PTI): In a shocking incident, a man was flung nearly 50 ft into the air along with a tin roof and thrown into a field during a powerful storm in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district, where the adverse weather claimed at least four lives.
The man in the video, Nanhe Mian of Bamiyana village, suffered multiple injuries in the incident that occurred on Wednesday.
In a video of the incident doing the rounds on social media, the man is seen being launched into the air while he is holding onto the tin roof. He then lets go, does a somersault in the air and lands in the adjacent field.
Initially, some social media users expressed disbelief over the video and suspected that it was generated using artificial intelligence. But for Nanhe, an e-rickshaw driver, it is all too real.
Nanhe, around 50 years old, said on Thursday that he had gone to a wedding hall to collect some items when the storm intensified.
"The wind was so strong that the tin shed started making loud noises. I thought if I did not hold onto it, it would be blown away in the storm. So, I immediately grabbed a rope tied to the shed," he said.
"Then a very strong gust came and lifted both the shed and me into the air. I was carried nearly 50 ft into the air before the storm weakened and I fell to the ground," he said.
Nanhe, who lives with his wife and their five children, said he suffered injuries on his head, back, arms and legs. These include a fractured arm and leg.
Bareilly Police said in a statement that Nahne was standing inside the wedding hall in Bamiyana when strong winds and rain tore the tin roof of the structure.
According to the Uttar Pradesh government, at least 89 people were killed and around 50 injured in storm and rain-related incidents across the state on Wednesday.
Several animals were also killed and houses and shops were damaged in many places.
In Bareilly, four people were killed between 8.30 am and 11.30 pm on Wednesday, nine animals perished and around 30 houses suffered heavy damage, officials said.
Meet Nanhe Miyan of Bareilly, UP.
— Treeni (@treeni) May 13, 2026
During a severe storm at a wedding venue, he was lifted into the air along with a tin shed he was holding onto.
He flew high before crashing to the ground, breaking both arms and legs. Now hospitalised.pic.twitter.com/D616Z5X23L
