Produced by: Manoj Kumar
When a harmless rat snake slithers into a Sri Lankan classroom, fear spreads faster than fact. Studies show most “deadly” bites aren’t deadly at all—but panic makes them feel that way.
A non-venomous snakebite rarely kills, yet hospitals overflow with terrified victims. Doctors say it’s not the fangs that hurt most—it’s centuries of fear and myth sinking in deeper than teeth ever could.
In rural fields, barefoot children chase what they think are toys—until a flash of scales proves otherwise. Research reveals kids suffer more non-venomous bites than adults, often from curiosity, not carelessness.
Snakebite myths feed a thriving trade in fake cures. Tight tourniquets, burnt herbs, and village “healers” profit off panic, while real science pleads for calm and soap, not superstition.
Even without venom, a snake’s mouth teems with bacteria. One careless bite, left unwashed, can turn septic. Experts warn: it’s not the poison you should fear—it’s the infection you ignore.
A harmless keelback is killed daily for “looking” like a cobra. Wildlife officers say misidentification fuels needless slaughter—and erodes the delicate balance snakes keep in the food chain.
In villages, grandmothers whisper that every snakebite is death’s knock. That story—passed from firelight to fear—kills reason faster than any venom could. Education is the antidote no one bottles.
Doctors repeat a simple mantra: “Don’t run. Don’t tie. Don’t panic.” Soap, water, and stillness save more lives than any ritual. Yet calm is the hardest cure to teach.
That snake in your garden? It’s your unpaid pest controller. Rat snakes devour crop destroyers, yet they’re met with sticks instead of gratitude. Fear blinds us to nature’s quiet helpers.