Kendrapara, Mar 21 (PTI) A 65-year-old snake rescuer, credited with rescuing over 4,000 snakes in the last three decades, died after being bitten by a cobra in Odisha's Kendrapara district, police said on Monday.

The incident occurred at Baspur village in Derabish block on Sunday afternoon.

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The incident was captured by locals on their mobile phones. In the video, Sheikh Suleiman was seen holding the cobra he had caught, but the poisonous snake bit him suddenly.

He was taken to the district headquarters hospital in Kendrapara, where doctors declared him dead

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Suleiman had rescued snakes, reptiles and other wild creatures for over three decades. He was also an active member of People For Animals and Snake Helpline.

"He had honed the skill of rescuing reptiles, especially snakes. He died while performing his noble and brave work to rescue a snake. We are shocked," said Prafulla Swain, a member of Snake Helpline in Kendrapara.

It is very important to follow a scientific method while handling and catching snakes. Suleiman was not sporting mandatory snake bite protection gears. As a result, the cobra attack turned fatal, according to Snake Helpline activists.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)