The leader of a renowned society of snake handlers in Indonesia has passed away after he was bitten by a king cobra in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan.
Aji Rachmat Purwanto was the co-founder and head of the Sioux Indonesian Snake Foundation, which is dedicated to snake rescues and providing handling training.
As detailed in a press release by Sioux, on Feb. 12, Aji was handling a live king cobra during a training session when he was bitten by the venomous reptile. Aji was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he spent two days in an ICU before he passed away.
Aji’s death serves as a cautionary tale that even the most seasoned of snake experts are at the mercy of the venomous predators.
In October last year, another renowned snake handler from East Java was bitten by his pet king cobra — which measured nearly 5 meters in length — and died.
The handler was known for performing dangerous stunts with his pet snakes. Ironically, he was bitten when his arm reached into the king cobra’s enclosure to replace its water.
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