In a list of the worst places that one could stumble onto a cobra, the under-seat storage of a motorcycle would be in the top slot.
This scenario seems to have struck one Karnataka resident, whose snake-encounter was captured on TikTok. The video has since been shared and commented on across the world, in particular in the Middle East and in Australia.
You can watch the viral video below, which was originally uploaded on TikTok by user @manjunathgowdaru.
In it, a man is seen fiddling around in the back of a TVS Victor with a Bangalore-registration number plate, suggesting that this is taking place in Bangalore. An agitated cobra abruptly emerges from the back and flares its hood. The man, who appears to have done this before, keeps his cool and begins the process of catching it.
This would be a good time to take a quick detour to Google for a course in snake-catching 101. The age-old internet resource on cobras, cobras.org, has a list of eight rules for handling a snake, with best practices including wearing gloves, protective equipment, and not-catching-one-with-your-bare-hands.
The last rule was not necessarily followed in the video, as the man fearlessly catches the cobra with his unguarded right hand. He managed this by distracting the snake with his left hand while gradually inching his right towards its head. After catching its head, he pulls it out of the bike and takes it away from the scene. Despite the danger, the man won much praise online for his act, with thousands of shares and comments.
A few found some humour in the situation.
Ok, India wins this round over Australia in the game of NOPE, NOPE, NOPE. pic.twitter.com/MYXljSd7xy
— Kapwan | IGN | FGC (@Kapwan) July 10, 2019
Even so, most people reacted with horror.
That's when I decide the snake gets to keep the bike.
— KS_Rach73 (@KS_Rach73) July 11, 2019
How the snake got into the bike is unknown, though multiple news reports suggest that snakes tend to get more active during heatwaves, coming out of their usual hiding places and into urban areas.
The snake, which appears to a spectacled cobra AKA the Indian cobra AKA Naja Naja, is of a venomous breed. Nearly 46,000 people die of snakebites every year in India, with the spectacled cobra, the common strait, saw-tailed viper and Russel’s viper most commonly involved, although certain parts of India have their own venomous species that can cause trouble.
