As Forest Gump's mom was fond of saying, "Stupid is a stupid does," and trying to kiss a cobra is right up there on the stupid scale.
Watch this guy ring the bell on the stupid meter:
Apparently, the man on the video is a snake "rescuer," which is a legitimate occupation in India where cobras are found. Most of the time it just involves removing a venomous snake from someone's house before anyone gets hurt.
According to the WHO, between 81,000 to 138,000 people in India die every year from snake bites, so there is definitely a need for this service.
However, sometimes the snake rescuers get the crazy notion that they can garner a little fame by doing something dangerous with the snakes.
Romulus Whitaker, India-based herpetologist of the Madras Crocodile Bank, which works to educate villagers on snakebites, said,
"Sadly this kind of idiotic behavior is common here. There are literally thousands of snake 'rescuers' in India, some very serious and performing a valuable service, removing snakes from houses and gardens and releasing them elsewhere away from people.
"But others, like this dude, are publicity hungry and do something crazy like free-handling the snake, putting it around their neck, or kissing it. We know of at least 25 of them fatally bitten over the last few years. Snakes are scared to death of humans and only bite in self-defense."
And if some dude is trying to kiss you without permission, then it's a great time to learn a self-defense lesson from the cobra:
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