Karkala: In a tragic incident, Anand Anchan, well-known snake-catcher and herpetologist who over the years had rescued several snakes and released them to their natural habitat, died on Monday of snake bite.

Anchan was 61-years-old. It is said that he had rushed to a house in Bailoor-Kaudoor area to catch a cobra and during operation to capture the cobra, the reptile had attacked him.

It is said that every time Anchan ventured to catch snakes he used to take some anti-venom medications in his pocket, but this time he had left them behind, due to which he succumbed to the fatal bite.

Even when locals requested him to rush to a hospital, he had brushed aside the suggestion and went ahead with the operation to capture the cobra. A lot of time had passed when he finally went to the hospital for medication. He returned home and breathed his last.

Anchan was not just a snake-catcher. He was revered by the locals as a traditional herpetologist, who had effective traditional medications for snake bite.