- Mongoose (Photo credit: Bryn Davies)
I only know of two mammals that can fight and defeat snakes: Cats and Mongooses. When we were living in the barrio, I witnessed a fight between our pet cat and a snake. At another point, while sleeping at night, we woke up to the noise created by our pet cat and later on we saw him with a snake on his mouth. The snake may have climbed into our house and cat who was there promptly fought with the snake.
The other animal is the Mongoose which are well known for their ability to fight and kill venomous snakes, particularly cobras. They are adept at such tasks due to their agility, thick coat, and evolved acetylcholine receptors, which render them resistant or immune to snake venom.
I also witnessed one such fight, although, in a snake farm located in the outskirts of Bangkok. It is one of the attractions for tourists, where a cobra is pitted against a mongoose.
It is against this backdrop that I share with you this short story of a woman and her pet mongoose.
A woman had a pet mongoose. It was very faithful. One day she went to the market, leaving her baby in the care of the mongoose. At that time a big cobra entered the house. The mongoose killed it after a long and fierce fight. When the woman came back she saw the mongoose lying at the entrance. She noticed its blood-covered mouth. In her haste the woman thought that the mongoose had killed her baby. In a moment of sudden fury, the woman threw the water pot on the mongoose and killed it. Alas! When she entered the house she was filled with remorse. Her baby was playing cheerfully. Nearby a big cobra lay dead. The woman shed tears of grief fondling the carcass of the mongoose.
