The incident took place in a village in the western Indian state of Gujarat. As reported in the local press, Parvat Gala Baria, a 60-year-old man, died following his deadly face-to-face encounter with a snake. Attacked by the reptile, the 60-year-old took revenge by biting it back, before dying a few hours later as a result of his injuries.
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‘While others there ran away, he continued to stand’
According to the local news website News18, the event dates back to July 14th. When questioned by a local television station, the village chief told the story of the incident: ‘Parvat Gala Baria was standing near a spot where maize was being loaded from a field onto a truck. A snake slithered out and while others there ran away, he continued to stand claiming he had caught snakes earlier.’
‘He grabbed the snake which retaliated by biting him on the hands and face. However, Parvat bit back and killed the snake too,’ concluded the village chief. But this act of bravery didn't help the 60-year-old man. He was rushed to the nearest hospital and eventually died of his injuries a few hours later.
The snake - a dangerous animal
This is an opportunity to remind everyone that snakes are only very rarely man's best friend. According to statistics from 2015, they are even the fifth most dangerous species for humans (50,000 deaths/year), after roundworms (a tiny intestinal parasite, which causes 60,000 deaths per year), freshwater snails (100,000 deaths/year), mosquitoes (725,000 deaths/year) and... Man himself (‘only’ 475,000 dead/year).
