Indian man dies because he mistakes the adder for a non-venomous snake and catches it with his bare hands

In a tragic incident in the Indian state of Karnataka, a man died after being bitten by an adder that he thought was a non-venomous python and tried to catch with his bare hands.

The deceased, identified as Ramachandra Poojary, 55, was working as a security guard at a house in Bajpe area of ​​Mangaluru when he accidentally came across the snake near the house on September 4.

Poojary thought the snake was harmless and caught it with his bare hands. The snake bit him on his hand but Poojary did not take the bite seriously as he believed the snake was non-venomous. Hence, he went home instead of going to the hospital, family sources said.

Video footage of the snake bite was shared on X, formerly known as Twitter.

In the evening, Ramchandra became dizzy and his health started deteriorating. His family immediately took him to the hospital. However, treatment was not responsive and he succumbed to his injuries on Friday, September 13.

The Russell's viper is one of the most venomous snakes in the world. The snake, native to South Asia, grows to a maximum length of 1.5 meters and has three rows of reddish-brown spots with black and white borders. Bites from the Russell's viper can cause hematological and neurological symptoms, doctors said.

Last month, a 44-year-old snake rescuer died after being bitten by a viper while trying to capture it in Coimbatore, about 450 kilometers from Bajpe.