A 65-year-old man was caught on video putting the head of a cobra in his mouth during a show in Bihar, India, but there was a strong suspicion the snake’s fangs had been removed.
Randhir Mahto, a snake charmer and daily laborer, was filmed playing with the cobra while trying to coil it around his neck and then put it in his mouth, The Daily Mail reported.
During his show, the angry snake bit the man’s hands, but he appeared to be unconcerned. He told his audience he would do more stunts if more people gathered. About a dozen villagers were watching his show.
Mahto said he had been bitten by deadly snakes in the past, but he still did his shows. Media reports did not mention if Mahto had removed the snake’s fangs to avoid being poisoned.
In 1972, India enforced the Wildlife Protection Act that prohibits the mistreatment of snakes in the form of entrapment, snaring, capture, hunting, as well as using snakes for display and entertainment.
