In a scene that sounds almost mythical, a two-year-old boy in Bankatwa village, Bihar, India, bit a venomous cobra to death after the snake wrapped itself around his tiny hand.
The extraordinary encounter happened while little Govinda was playing near his home. According to his grandmother, Mateshwari Devi, the three-foot-long cobra slithered up to the boy and coiled tightly around his hand.
Instead of panicking or crying out, the toddler shocked everyone: “He grabbed the cobra and bit its head,” Devi recalled. “By the time we reached him, he had the snake’s head clenched between his teeth.”
Though Govinda’s act proved fatal to the snake, it left him unconscious, likely from venom exposure through his mouth. His family rushed him first to a local health center and then to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Bettiah for specialized care.
Dr. Saurab Kumar, a pediatrician at GMCH, described the case as “highly unusual.” While snakebites are common during India’s monsoon season, it’s almost unheard of for a child to survive after directly biting a venomous snake.
Govinda’s face and mouth had become swollen, a sign of reaction to venom contact. “Fortunately, the venom didn’t enter his bloodstream, which could have been fatal,” Dr. Kumar explained. Instead, the venom traveled through his digestive tract, allowing doctors to treat him with anti-allergy medication and careful monitoring.
After 48 hours under observation and no new symptoms developing, Govinda was discharged and is now recovering at home—leaving his family, neighbors, and even experienced doctors amazed.
As for the snake, it reportedly died instantly from the toddler’s fierce bite.
Medical experts emphasized just how rare such an outcome is, highlighting the difference between venom injected through a snakebite (which is deadly) and venom ingested, which can sometimes be survived with prompt medical care.
Govinda’s story has since gone viral in his village—and far beyond—as an almost unbelievable tale of courage and instinct from a child too young to know fear.
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