A pair of sorcerers attempt to revive a cow in India using 'magic' after it was bitten by a snake – raising questions about the prevalence of the practice despite the broad availability of modern veterinary treatments.

The cow was in a critical condition after being attacked, but it's owner sought the two out, as opposed to a vet. The two men chant and perform mantras from books.

However, the attempts failed and the cow died after succumbing to the bite.

The incident triggered a controversy. Local snake expert Subhendu Malik said that the cow "could have been perhaps saved if a vet had been called instead of sorcerers.”

“The district reports high incidence of snake bites. The government has to curb practice of black magic as sorcerers are preventing victims from getting modern treatment,” he added.

A month ago in the same district of Angul, northeastern India, a woman also died of a snakebite. Sorcerers attempted to revive her and police had to chase the crowds away so they could send her body for a post mortem.

Two sorcerers tried to revive a cow that was bitten by a poisonous snake.

The cow was bitten by a snake and was found in a critical condition in a village in Angul district of Odisha on August 30.

The owner of the cow, instead of calling a veterinary doctor, summoned two village sorcerers for help.

A video shows the two men chanting black magic mantras from books and performing rituals.

Their attempts failed and the cow succumbed to the poison.

But the incident, which was covered by local media, triggered off a controversy with many slamming the superstitious practice.

Snake expert Subhendu Malik said: “The cow could have been perhaps saved if a vet had been called instead of sorcerers.”

“The district reports high incidence of snake bites. The government has to curb practice of black magic as sorcerers are preventing victims from getting modern treatment,” he added.

Despite criticism, villagers continue to rely on black magic to treat snake bite victims in many parts of India.

A month ago, a few sorcerers had tried to revive a woman who had died of snake bite in the same district, Angul.

They had drawn a huge crowd and the police had a difficult time chasing them away and sending the woman’s body for post mortem.