A six-year-old girl is recovering at a hospital in Maharashtra, India after spending two hours lying perfectly still with a cobra wrapped around her neck. The snake reportedly also bit the child on the arm as a snake handler helped to remove the reptile.
According to GetIndiaNews, the frightening incident occurred on September 12; the tiny victim, Purvi Gadkari – likely the bravest little girl ever, was told to stay perfectly still as not to provoke the snake. A video showed the cobra’s hood fully spread out behind the child’s back which signals the snake felt threatened. The child had been lying on a mattress in her home.
Conflicting reports stated the snake had bitten the child; and cobra bites can be fatal if not treated as its venom acts on the nervous system.
In India, snake charmers still exist even though they have been banned in the country as part of a wildlife protection act. India accounts for the highest number of snakebite cases and deaths in the world; reports indicate an average of 58,000 deaths per year.
On an update posted by International Business Times on Wednesday, the child was doing well and had been expected to leave the hospital to return home.