Vava Suresh, 48, a household name in Kerala who has rescued over 50,000 snakes and other animals, is battling for his life again at a Kottayam hospital after a cobra bit him on Monday.
He rushed to save the cobra in Kurichi from another hospital, where he was recuperating following an accident last week, after a frantic call.
In 2020, he battled for his life on a ventilator for days after a viper bit him.
Residents of Kurichi in Kottayam said Suresh was bitten while he was putting the 10-foot cobra in a gunny bag after saving it. “We were in tears… despite the bite, he managed to put the snake in the gunny back safely. He became unconscious after a few minutes,” said a resident.
The Kerala forest department offered him a job but he refused to take it saying he would not able to devote his life to his first love. He gave his expert views in a case in which a husband was convicted for killing his wife by having a snake bite her while she was sleeping in Kollam.
Suresh, who earlier told HT in an interview that he has suffered over 250 snake bites, became a household name over the last two decades for promptly responding to calls to save snakes and to release them into the wild. He is known for his knowledge of snakes.
In 2013, Prince Charles, the heir apparent to the British throne, met Suresh, who has rescued over 175 king cobras, the most venomous snakes, during his visit to Kerala. “Even an elephant dies in an hour after the bite of a king cobra. How did you save so many kings cobras? You are a living wonder and I salute your love for your reptilian friends,” Charles told Suresh.
Doctors earlier warned Suresh that snake antivenom has little impact on him due to the number of bites he has suffered. In 2005, he lost his right index finger after a cobra bit him. Suresh also lost the movement of his right wrist after another bite. Snake antivenom and toxins have damaged his liver and skin. An expatriate gifted Suresh a car a few years back to carry out his mission.
The state government has promised the best possible treatment for Suresh. “He is on ventilator and doctors say he is yet to come out of danger. We are sure he will bounce back like earlier. The government will give the best treatment available,” said state minister V N Vasavan after visiting Suresh.
Health minister Veena George said a special team of doctors will be formed to monitor his health.
