Carpenter Hospitalised by the Pet Cobra He Brought Home from a Wetland; Condition Still Critical

A carpenter in Chandpur has been hospitalised in serious condition after being bitten by the cobra he had been keeping at home as a hobby. He had kept the venomous snake at home for months despite his family's repeated objections, and in the end it struck him as he went to feed it.

The incident took place at Bhuiyakandi village in Matlab North upazila of Chandpur. The carpenter, Iqbal Hossain, is 45. He had rescued a cobra that was trapped in a fishing net in a wetland and brought it home out of fascination.

For several months Iqbal kept the snake in a separate wooden box, feeding it fish, frogs and other food. Family members repeatedly told him not to keep a venomous snake at home, but he did not listen.

The accident happened at around 11:30 am on Thursday. When he opened the box to feed the snake, it bit his right hand, and relatives rushed in at his screams.

When he fell ill from the venom a short while later, he was taken to the emergency department of the Matlab North Upazila Health Complex, where he is being treated with antivenom.

Doctors say his condition is still critical. Dr Sabin Istehar, who works in the health complex's emergency department, said Iqbal had been given antivenom and was being treated under observation, but he is not yet out of danger.

Iqbal's wife, Rina Akter, said her husband loves keeping various animals, including birds. He had caught the cobra from the wetland a few months earlier and brought it home. Rina repeatedly forbade keeping the venomous snake at home, and the couple had even quarrelled over it.

Ignoring his wife's objections, Iqbal continued to keep the snake — and the family's fears finally came true in Thursday's incident.

Iqbal's brother, Islam Hossain, said family members and local people had repeatedly told him not to keep the snake, but out of his hobby he listened to no one. On Thursday morning he was bitten while feeding it and, after falling ill from the venom, was taken quickly to hospital.

The incident is a fresh reminder that a venomous snake is never a household pet. Even a humane wish to rescue a trapped snake becomes a life-threatening risk for oneself and the whole family when the animal is kept at home.

Snakes being caught in wetlands and water bodies is not new in rural areas. In such cases the safe course is to release the snake safely into nature or hand it over to the relevant authorities — not to confine it in a box at home.

For now, all eyes are on the Matlab North Upazila Health Complex. After antivenom and observation, relatives can only wait to see whether Iqbal Hossain's condition improves.