WELCOME TO ISSUE 20 of isle of wéired news – bringing you the weirdest news from around the world.
In this issue: a woman bitten by a venomous snake is given an exorcism at the hospital; a Northampton woman has a close encounter with a panther while putting out the bins; a Gloucester man blames the heat for the UK’s recent big cat sightings; a family of Loch Ness monsters are spotted on Google Earth; things get violent when “professional sorcerers” try to exorcise a witch; and a drinks company offers $1,000,000 for proof of Bigfoot’s existence.
Snake Bites and Exorcism
On 18 August, a 20-year-old woman was bitten by a venomous snake while she was working in the fields near Chandhat village in northern India. She was rushed to Palwal Civil Hospital where – according to a video that has gone viral – she received an exorcism to treat the snake bite.
In the video, the woman sits on the floor in the hospital while a man preforms an exorcism. As part of the ritual, he rubs neem leaves on her and gives her some of the leaves to eat.
Dr Sanjay, Senior Medical Officer at the hospital, gave his reaction to the video.
“Exorcism is not permitted in the hospital. The doctors did not call any exorcists. The man was brought in by the family from outside. On coming to know this, he was removed from the hospital premises.
“This video is not from inside the emergency ward, but from another part of the hospital. Activities like exorcism are not permitted in the hospital, where patients are given medical treatment.”
Earlier in the month, on 5 August, Krishna Mondal was bitten by a Russell’s Viper – a highly venomous snake – while working in the fields near the village of Jabagram in West Bengal, India.
Mondal, described as a traditional healer who was often called upon to treat snake bites, attempted to heal himself using the “traditional rituals” and folk remedies he had used on others.
He became increasingly ill and was eventually taken to Bhatar State General Hospital.
Mondal was pronounced dead, shortly after arriving at the hospital.
The Chandhat video appeared a year after a similar – but more disturbing – incident that took place in Sitmarhi, India.
On that occasion, as with the Chandhat incident, a woman was subjected to “exorcism rituals” following a snake bite. And like the Chandhat incident, this woman’s ordeal was captured on video.
During the ritual, a man places a snake beside the woman. This is done in the belief that this snake will “suck the venom” out of the woman’s body.
Instead, the snake bites the woman. Repeatedly.
The woman’s condition at the time the incident was reported was unknown.
Source(s): News 18, 27 August 2025; The Statesman, 7 August 2026; ETV Bharat, 20 August 2026
Panther Snapped
Clare Hodge says she is afraid to leave her home after taking a photo of a panther that was prowling near her home in the Ryehill area of Northampton, England.
Clare was putting her bins out on the night of 18 August when she was startled by a noise behind her. She thought it might be a fox but was terrified to see a huge black cat with a long tail.
She took a photo on her phone, then ran back into her house.
Clare believes the cat may have been drawn to the area by the raw lamb the neighbours have been leaving out for a fox.
“The neighbours have been leaving out some raw lamb for a lovely vixen we have in the area at the minute and we’d been trying to get a photo of it for some time so I had my camera ready already,” she explained.
“So I thought it was the fox and turned to get a quick image and then within a second or so I thought ‘Oh s**t, what is that?’
“It was very big and I just ran quicker than I have ever done in my life into the house, shut the door and showed my partner Joseph.
“I thought it could be a big dog at first, like a Dalmatian with no spots, but then we saw the tail was not like a dog at all.
“It’s actually terrifying how close to homes it has decided to get. Panthers can be extremely quick and could have got either of us if it wanted.
“I’m worried for the safety of my daughter and other children in the area now.”
Clare posted her photo on Facebook, where some have questioned its authenticity.
“Some said it was AI but it really wasn’t,” she said. “I wouldn’t know how to do that anyway and I don’t have the time to looking after my daughter.
“People can think what they like, but we know what we saw.”
Source(s): Birmingham World, 27 August 2026
Big Cat Summer
This summer, the UK has experienced five heatwaves and a spate of big cat sightings. And Frank Tunbridge, a big cat expert from Gloucester, believes the two are connected.
“Normally, these elusive predators are secretive, and you have to be in the right place at the right time to see one,” he said.
“But every time there is extreme weather we see changes in their habits, and this overwhelming heatwave and drought has changed the habits of these British big cats and brought them more in contact with people, especially in the south west and Wales.
“They have become more bold in their search for water sources and have ventured further afield.
“A similar situation occurred a few years ago when we had another extended spell of extremely hot weather. At that time I received quite a few reports of these large felids taking a drink from garden ponds and cattle troughs.”
Source(s): Gloucester Citizen, 10 September 2026
Nessie Seen from Space?
Julie Fraser, from the North East of England, believes she spotted a “little family of Nessies” on Google Earth.
“Last weekend I opened Google Earth to look around the Clan Fraser cemetery on the east shore of the loch – I’m planning a visit to Inverness later in the year and was just playing when I spotted the three objects,” she said.
“Taking a closer look and enlarging the images they really do look like a pod of whales. Obviously there’s no specific date but there’s a Google 2026 and the trees are in full leaf so it’s recent.
“There’s an image of a pleasure boat with a wake but no wake from the three things. They don’t look like boats and look like whales or something with an arc to their back.
“I’m not a crank. I’m not as familiar as probably local people but it definitely looks like something to me.
“The thought of a little family of Nessies is exciting,” said Julie.
Loch Ness Sightings have been in touch with Julie and say they will take a look at the image.
However, seasoned Nessie hunter Steve Feltham has already had a look, and he’s not impressed.
“That photograph, lovely as it is, there is nothing that I’ve ever seen that looks more like Canadian canoes,” he said.
“If you look closely at each canoe, you can see a little protuberance and a splash of water. That’s the paddle action. There’s two people in each canoe.”
Despite dismissing this image, Feltham firmly believes Nessie exists.
“I’ve dedicated my life to this mystery, trying to find the answers. And I suppose part of what I do is also disproving the things that are false alarms.”
Source(s): The Inverness Courier, 18 September 2026; News Nation, 23 September 2026
Night Owl Nessie
In other Nessie news, the Loch Ness Exploration group are very excited about footage of a large object in the loch.
A “dark hump” was captured on camera just before midnight during a nighttime vigil.
According to Christopher Drysdale, the footage comes after a change in Loch Ness Exploration’s search strategy.
“We believe Nessie is nocturnal and that this shift in approach is the reason we are beginning to see things that daylight-only searches have missed.”
Source(s): Daily Star, 16 September 2026
Exorcism Gets Violent
On Wednesday, 23 September, police arrested three “occult practitioners” after a woman was attacked in the Banke Bazar area of Gaya, India.
It appears that villagers – with the aid of the “occult practitioners” – were attempting to get the woman to confess to having used occult rituals to cause sickness and death in their community.
Tension had been building for weeks in Kundil village following a number of unexplained deaths and illnesses.
The villagers came to believe that witchcraft was involved, prompting them to hire professional sorcerers to “exorcise” the woman they believed to be responsible.
The sorcerers promised that their rituals would force the culprit to appear, dance and confess to her crimes.
The rituals were performed on Wednesday, 23 September at a local Devi temple.
Things escalated when some of the large crowd that had gathered to watch the proceedings began to assault the accused.
Fortunately, the police arrived and intervened.
Source(s): Hindustan Times (Ranchi), 25 September 2026
Big Prize for Bigfoot Evidence
The makers of Hard Mountain Dew, the alcoholic version of Mountain Dew, are offering $1,000,000 to anyone – aged 21 years and over – who can provide proof that Bigfoot exists.
Acceptable evidence includes footprints, handprints, photos, thermal images, hair samples and audio recordings.
Submitted evidence will be assessed using criteria set by Bigfoot expert Bryce Johnson.
“Hard Mountain Dew has always been about chasing bold experiences, and Bigfoot Bounty takes that to the next level,” said Hard Mountain Dew’s Erica Taylor.
“Every fall, someone’s got a story of a shape in the trees or a sound they can’t explain. Whether you catch Bigfoot or just catch a good story trying, there’s nothing better than an ice-cold Hard Mountain Dew at the end of the hunt.”
Full details can be found at HardDewBigfootBounty.com
Source(s): NJ.com, 17 September 2026