He Bit Back: The Toddler Who Took Down a Cobra with His Teeth
At first, it sounded like myth—something whispered over village fires or tucked into bedtime tales. But this story is real. And it’s jaw-dropping.
In the dusty lanes of Bankatwa, a quiet village in Bihar’s West Champaran district, the unimaginable unfolded: a two-year-old boy didn’t just survive a run-in with a deadly cobra—he killed it. With his teeth.
The toddler, Govinda Kumar, was playing just outside his home when the three-foot serpent slithered out from the underbrush. Alarmed, Govinda tried to drive it off with a brick. But the cobra struck back, coiling itself around the boy’s arm like a noose.
That’s when instinct—or something far more primal—kicked in.
Before his family could reach him, Govinda clamped down on the snake’s head. Hard. One bite. Done. The cobra died on the spot, limp in his tiny hand.
“We screamed when we saw him holding the snake,” said his grandmother, Mateshwari Devi. “But by the time we got to him, it was already over. He had killed it.”
Moments later, Govinda collapsed.
Panicked relatives rushed him to a local clinic before transferring him to the Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH) in Bettiah. Doctors confirmed the cobra had released venom, though they couldn’t determine whether it came from a defensive spurt or a bite to the boy.
“He was exposed to venom, but we caught it in time,” said Dr. Surab Kumar, the physician overseeing his recovery. “He’s stable now, and we’re monitoring him closely. It’s a miracle he survived.”
Govinda is currently being treated with antihistamines and monitored for signs of residual toxicity. Doctors are also watching for possible allergic reactions, given the unusual circumstances of venom exposure.
But for now, the child is alive. Alert. Healing.
Conclusion:
In the heart of rural India, a two-year-old did what no one thought possible: he took on one of nature’s deadliest predators—and won. Govinda’s story defies logic and challenges everything we assume about fear, survival, and instinct. Was it luck? Biology? A flash of ancient fight-or-flight? No one knows for sure. What’s clear is this: the cobra didn’t walk away. And Govinda did.
His recovery is still underway—but his legend is already written.