Karnataka man's stunt with three cobras goes wrong; watch hair-raising video

A man’s stunt with three cobras ended badly when one of the snakes attacked him. A snake enthusiast from Sirsi, identified as Maaz Sayed, was filmed handling three cobras in what many people have described as a "horrific" manner.

The man was seen sitting in front of the snakes, pulling their tails and moving his hands about - all gestures that the cobras could have seen as threatening and acted aggressively.

Unfortunately the snake enthusiast - whose YouTube channel is filled with similar footages - this is exactly what happened. His recent stunt came to an end on a terrifying note when one of the snakes suddenly attacked him. Video that has now gone viral shows the snake lunging at the stuntman and biting his knee. The cobra refused to let go even as the stuntman tried to pull it away.

Sharing the clip on social media, Indian Forest Service officer Susanta Nanda lambasted the stuntman. "This is just horrific way of handling cobras...The snake considers the movements as threats and follow the movement. At times, the response can be fatal," he wrote.

A post on Facebook shared by Priyanka Kadam, President and Founder of Snakebite Healing and Education Society, shows that the snake handler was hospitalised following the cobra bite.

Sharing the image of snake handler in hospital, Kadam wrote. "He is recuperating in a private hospital in Sirsi, Karnataka," she wrote in an update shared yesterday. While Ms Kadam had earlier called for Maaz Sayed to be booked for "putting up content which is clearly an abuse of wildlife", she later suggested that an expert could try guiding the snake handler.

"An expert can perhaps try guiding him. He wasn't arrogant. Spoke respectfully. He is still unwell. Will connect with him once he fully recovers," she wrote.

A snake and an animal rescuer from Mangalore, identified as Atul Pai also warned against similar stunts. "A young snake enthusiast Maaz Sayed from Sirsi, Karnataka got bitten by a spectacled cobra while he was showing off keeping 3 cobras and playing around with them," Mr Pai wrote on Facebook. "This is a very popular stunt that many people follow and they don't understand the seriousness of this! Unnecessary handling and playing around can lead to serious repercussions."

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