This blog wasn’t supposed to happen. I was just trying to rescue a cobra.

It started the previous evening. I got a call, geared up, and waited at the site for 40 minutes, eyes peeled, torch in hand. Nothing. Maybe it left? Maybe it decided to stay inside for the rest of the evening? I called it a night.

Next morning — same call. Same cobra.
This time, we decided to get serious. The place had once been a bathroom. Now, it was more like a post-apocalyptic sewer auditioning for a horror film. And yes, as rescuers, we often find ourselves crawling through the most questionable places — all for a snake trying to mind its own business.

Eventually, the cobra revealed itself after some cleanup. Gorgeous and majestic. And the real drama began not during the rescue…
…but during the release.

“Please release it far away, there is a Church here”, someone said.
“Like, other side of the planet far.”
I get it. Fear makes people irrational. But they don’t realise we’ve run out of places.

Urban sprawl, habitat destruction, garbage, noise, concrete — where exactly do you want me to drop this animal off? At the gates of a mall?

The rescue was smooth.
The convincing was not.
And that’s when it hit me — more than half of our job is not rescuing snakes. It’s rescuing people from their own myths.

And boy, do we have a lot of them.

“Is it here because of the temple?”
“Should we put milk outside?”
“Does it remember your face?”
“Sir, these snakes chase us no matter what!”
(All of these questions were asked during this rescue.)

Let me explain some of the common myths while I am at it.

Myth #1: All snakes are deadly.

We love stereotypes. “All politicians lie.” “All influencers are fake.”
Snakes suffer the same fate — one bad headline and suddenly, the entire species is a death machine.

Truth:
Less than 10% of snakes in India are venomous. The rest? They’re your unpaid pest control team.

“Generalising? That’s your thing, not ours.”

Myth #2: Snakes drink milk.

We assume everyone likes what we like. Weddings must have biryani. Guests must want cola. Reptiles? Let’s feed them dairy.

Truth:
Snakes are lactose-intolerant carnivores. They drink water. Not milk. Not chai. Not protein shakes.

“Stop offering hospitality based on your pantry.”

Myth #3: Snakes chase people.

We love feeling important, like the centre of the story. Even if it’s a snake trying to escape, we assume it’s after us.

Truth:
Snakes flee from humans 99% of the time. If it looks like a chase, you’re in the way of its escape path.

“Relax. Not everything in life is about you.”

Myth #4: If you kill a snake, its mate will come for revenge.

Now this is pure Bollywood. Humans excel at revenge — silent treatment, passive-aggressive texts, blocking and unblocking. Of course we assume snakes are like us.

Truth:
Snakes are solitary. No long-term relationships. No vendettas. No revenge playlist on loop.

“We don’t do revenge arcs. You do.”

Myth #5: Seeing a snake is bad luck.

We blame external things for our misfortune. Black cats. Mercury retrograde. In-laws. Why not add snakes to the list?

Truth:
Snakes are a sign of a functioning ecosystem. If you see one, it means nature is still hanging on.

“A snake isn’t bad luck. Ignorance is.”

Myth #6: Snakes hypnotize their prey.

We love attributing mystery where there’s science. Ever heard someone say “his eyes are magnetic” or “she has a hypnotic aura”? Same thing.

Truth:
Snakes are masters of stillness. Prey freezes from fear, not enchantment.

“It’s not magic. It’s evolution.”

Myth #7: Snakes die looking into mirrors.

Projection again. We often crumble when forced to face ourselves. So we assume a snake will, too.

Truth:
Snakes don’t recognize themselves in mirrors. They might react to their reflection, but they don’t go into an existential crisis.

“If anyone’s spiraling from self-reflection, it’s you.”

Myth #8: Cobras are usually found near temples.

We love assigning divine significance to things we don’t understand. Got a power cut? Must be bad karma. Found a snake near a temple? Must be Lord Shiva’s messenger.

Truth:
Cobras aren’t spiritually inclined. They’re ecologically practical. Temples tend to be quiet, undisturbed spaces with lots of rat activity, abandoned rooms, and open ground — aka, prime real estate for snakes.

“They’re not worshipping. They’re squatting.”

Who’s the Real Drama Queen?

Maybe snakes aren’t the villains. Maybe it’s us.
They hiss, we spread hysteria. They slither, we scream, “chase.”
They mind their business — we write conspiracy theories on WhatsApp groups.

Instead of fearing them, let’s learn from them.
Be still. Be efficient. Don’t overreact. Don’t seek revenge.
And don’t drink milk if you don’t need it.