If you decapitate a venomous snake, don’t do what this guy did.
Authorities in Ghana report that a 53-year-old man died last week after he consumed venom from a decapitated snake, apparently in an attempt to boost his immune system against toxins. According to the Ghana News Agency, the man was identified as Musah Dzikpor, a painter in the eastern border town of Aflao.
Authorities said Dzikpor encountered the snake on a farm owned by a friend when it came across a moving tractor. When the tractor operator attempted to remove it, the snake acted aggressively and was dispatched with a machete. Snake heads are a valuable commodity for traditional medicine in the region, so nearby villagers had gathered and began arguing over who should take possession of the snake.
Dzikpor, who had an interest in the alleged medicinal properties of venom, took ownership and retrieved the snake head. He immediately attempted to suck the venom from its mouth and it is there when eyewitness accounts diverge. Some say that the man was able to siphon venom from the snake and died. Others reported that when Dzikpor put the snake head in his mouth, the decapitated animal twitched and sunk its fangs into the man’s tongue, injecting the venom directly.
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