Mysuru: A man was in for a shock, when he came across a snake coiled inside a crocs sandal, left in the compound of the house at Karthik Layout in Dattagalli yesterday. The family member heaved a sigh of relief after herpetologist Snake Shyam rescued the reptile.

The snake, mostly a baby, identified as Russell’s Viper, was seen inside the slipper, when the man came out of the house. He informed Shyam, who rescued the baby snake in a bottle, before creating awareness among the curious people gathered around.

The Russell’s Viper is a highly venomous snake, the bite of which causes pain, swelling, bruising and potential tissue damage, along with bleeding, coagulopathies, neurotoxicity and acute kidney injury, which can be life-threatening, say the experts.

During summer, snakes prefer cold places and during cold season, they prefer warm weather. This being a rainy season, the snake has slithered inside the slipper to stay warm. The people should be all eyes and ears, when they leave their footwears outside the house. They have to better be careful even while wearing them, said Shyam, in a bid to create awareness.

Shyam said, with the increase in snake bite cases, a separate ward should be opened to treat such cases at K.R. Hospital in the city. Despite submitting multiple memoranda to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in this regard, there is no positive response.

It may be mentioned that, in February 2024, Karnataka Government classified snake bite as a notifiable disease, which means that all cases of snake bite, both in Government and private hospitals, must be reported to the Health Department.