Can Humans Eat Snake Eggs? Expert Reveals Surprising Truth & Health Risks

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News18•05-01-2026, 09:15
Can Humans Eat Snake Eggs? Expert Reveals Surprising Truth & Health Risks
- •Eating snake eggs is unusual but carries significant health risks like bacterial infections (e.g., Salmonella), parasites, food poisoning, and severe allergic reactions.
- •Snake expert Mahadev Patel from Khargone, Madhya Pradesh, confirms venom is generally not present in freshly laid eggs, as it's produced in glands, but an embryo might contain it.
- •Thorough cooking is essential to destroy bacteria and parasites if one chooses to consume snake eggs, despite potential nutritional value.
- •In India, consuming snake eggs is culturally unacceptable due to religious reverence for snakes, and harming wildlife is illegal under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
- •While some foreign countries consume them, cultural, ethical, and legal considerations, alongside health risks, make it a complex issue.
Why It Matters: Eating snake eggs carries significant health risks and cultural/legal issues, despite low venom risk.
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