Milap Dhurve, a member of the Gond tribe, was bitten on the right hand as he tended cattle by a river in the district of Betul on Thursday, said Rahul Srivastava, a doctor at the district hospital.
“The man turned back and bit the snake. He broke it in two pieces behind the neck and threw it near the river,” Mr. Srivastava said.
The doctor said Mr. Dhurve is being kept under observation at the hospital. He said the farmer couldn’t identify the type of snake that bit him, but his symptoms suggest it wasn’t poisonous. “He is OK now,” he said.
“Because the tribals are illiterate, it is difficult to get an accurate history, so we give an anti-venom which works for all poisonous snakes commonly found here,” the doctor said. Cobra, krait and vipers are common in the area, he said.
“He must be superstitious, believing that he has to bite the snake back to be fine,” Mr. Srivastava added. Mr. Dhurve couldn’t be reached for comment.
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