Famous snake expert and wildlife conservationist Vava Suresh, who is fighting for his life at the ICU of the Kottayam Medical College hospital after a cobra he went rescue bit him, was taken off the ventilator support on Thursday after he showed signs of improvement.
Doctors attending to him said that the decision to remove the life support was taken this morning following which he is breathing easy.
Last night, he opened his eyes and responded to questions asked by the medical professionals, they said.
Even though he is breathing on his own, the decision on moving him out of the ICU will be taken after observing him closely for another 48 hours.
Suresh was bitten by the cobra on Monday evening when he was trying to put it into a gunny bag after rescuing it.
Despite being bitten, he caught the snake again when it slithered away, packed it, and asked the people to rush him to the nearest hospital. He suffered a cardiac arrest while on the way.
After being administered anti-venom, he was shifted to the state-run Kottayam Medical College hospital and put on ventilator.
Forty-eight-year-old Suresh, in a career spanning over two decades, has caught more than 50,000 snakes, which includes more than 200 King cobras. And in the process, he has suffered close to 300 snake bites.
In the past, he has survived almost half a dozen lethal bites after spending a lot of time at various hospitals.
His treatment is being taken care of by the state government.
