A man in Tamil Nadu was arrested and fined Rs 7,000 for eating a snake. Disturbing visuals of Vadivel, a 50-year-old agriculture coolie, eating a venomous snake had surfaced on social media earlier this week. He was heard claiming that snakes were good antidotes to Covid-19 in a video that has been circulating online, according to Times Of India. Vadivel was arrested by the forest department on Thursday.
The 50-year-old, who belongs to the Perumalpatti village in Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli district, was fined Rs 7,000 for the crime after environmentalists alerted police to the video. According to an India Today report, Vadivel claimed that he had caught the snake in a field and killed it before eating it.
However, Madurai District Forest Officer S Anand told Times Of India that he had been inebriated at the time of the incident and had been instigated to eat the snake by other people. Luckily for Vadivel, he did not bite into the venom glands of the snake, which was identified as a common krait. The common krait is a species of highly venomous snakes native to the Indian subcontinent. Its venom consists of powerful neurotoxins that can even be fatal for humans if not treated.
The snake had been found dead in a drain, the DFO said, adding that people who instigated him to eat it also egged him on to make misleading statements on Covid.
There are growing concerns about an "infodemic" or a wave of fake news and misinformation about the coronavirus. There is currently no known cure for the virus, although a number of vaccines are now available. Medical experts stress the best way to guard against COVID-19 is to practice social distancing, wear face masks and frequently wash your hands with soap or disinfectant.
