Daijiworld Media Network - Karkala (SP)

Karkala, Feb 1: A drunk snake catcher was bitten by a venomous snake recently near Gokul Compound in Kukkundoor village recently. /the deceased was Venkatesh (62) from Kukkundoor.

Venkatesh was adept at catching snakes which made their way into people's homes, and releasing them into forests. Whenever snake was sighted, people had made it a habit to call Venkatesh, who also repaired buckets and umbrellas for a living.

On January 23, a cobra was sighted in a house near Gokul Compound, and the family had contacted Venkatesh to get rid the reptile. When Venkatesh arrived there, he was drunk. It is said that Venkatesh failed to properly differentiate between the head and tail portions of the snake. Instead of gripping the head region of the snake, he held its tail, it is said. The snake immediately turned its hood towards him and bit him, after which venom got into his blood stream.

Although Venkatesh was taken to a hospital at Mangaluru, he could not be saved. He breathed his last there later.