By IANS
Bhubaneswar : A man in Orissa claims that he eats raw meat of live snakes but has never developed any health disorders due to this practice.
Sutari Nayak, a resident of Badabudhapanka village in Angul district, some 150 km from here, said he eats raw snake meat "for fun".
"I developed a special liking for snakes 16 years ago. I love to catch snakes and live with them," the 36-year-old Nayak said.
The daily wage earner also performs stunts with the snakes and earns some money by showing how the reptiles obey his orders, Oriya news portal odisha.com reported.
"I do this just because of fun and my liking for snakes," he said.
Though his family of three children and a wife ask him not to resort to such dangerous stunts, Nayak has not given up. Because of his habits, his family members have virtually abandoned him.
The villagers of Badabudhapanka claim he has developed immunity against snakebites and never feels sick after eating the raw flesh of snakes.
But experts feel that Nayak's habit of eating snakes may lead to health related complications.
"Since he is putting live snakes in his mouth, there is every possibility of fungal infections in his mouth (as the snakes live in dirty areas) which may prove fatal for him in future," snake expert Subhendu Mallick said.
Snake meat is eaten in many countries. Rattlesnake meat is eaten in the Western United States. In some Asian countries, blood of snakes, particularly the cobra, is consumed.