BHUBANESWAR: A seven-year-old boy survived the bite of a
snake, suspected to be a cobra, on Monday.
Rishab Patra, a resident of
Patia, was bitten by a snake hatchling that had curled up inside his school shoe. He was admitted in hospital and is currently under observation. Doctors said he was stable.
"Rishab had worn the shoe and walked for four or five steps when he felt a tingling sensation in his left foot. I asked him to take off his shoe and found a tiny snake curled up inside. Due to the thick
cotton socks he wore, the venom could not penetrate his skin," said Dusashan Rout, the child's grandfather.
Rout, an old resident of Patia, which has always been vulnerable to reptiles, said he could identify the snake as a cobra from its features.
The family of the boy panicked as the snake slithered away on being discovered, and informed Snake Helpline. Members of the organization searched the house and its surroundings but could not find the
reptile. "By the time I reached the spot, the snake had moved away. From its description, shape and size, we can safely assume it was a cobra hatchling," said Snake Helpline founder Subhendu Mallick.
"Finding snakes inside houses is common during
monsoon. We are getting at least 10 calls every day," Mallick added. He advised residents, especially children, to thoroughly check school bags and shoes before heading out. "Once we found a snake in a child's school bag," he further said.
The child at Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar and (inset) the part of his foot where the snake bit him
