Yet another flagrante example of irresponsible sensationalism to sell copy. Some members of the media in this country have a lot to answer for...
Use of the word “infested” in the title is an absolute furphy. Who amongst the herping community, in our thousands upon thousands of hours of diligent scouring of potential snake habitats, can honestly say they have ever come across a population of snakes that warranted being described as an infestation? It happens so incredibly rarely, and NEVER at a beach!
As for Andy Kington (of Pommie Pythons), he seems to believe that our snakes are social animals and that like to congregate at the beach. I think he might be confusing Aussie surfers with Aussie snakes!
The writer quotes snake catcher Tony Harrison as making a similar claim, saying “the beach is highly populated with snakes.” What the??? The dune grasslands behind a beach may support a resident population of browns but as any field experienced herper knows, that certainly does not qualify for the descriptor “highly populated”.
They quote Harrison as stating: “If I’m totally honest, I’m surprised it’s taken this long for it to happen there”, and then saying “it was more likely a freak accident in which the reptile had been disturbed or had felt threatened for some reason”. These two statements are clearly not compatible. One is left to wonder what qualifying comments of Tony were omitted if he did utter the first statement. Looks suspiciously like a case of quoting something out of context in order to sensationalise it.
One aspect of this report I seriously question is the accuracy of the statement that: “Paramedics injected the 31-year-old with anti-venom after the reptile latched on to his leg while he was on the beach about 12.50pm.” There are strict protocols governing the use of anti-venom. It is NEVER administered at the scene by paramedics, for a number of important reasons. It is only administered once it is apparent that systemic envenomation has actually taken place, and only then where there are emergency medical facilities and expertise available to cope with the potential of a severe allergic reaction that can result from administration of the horse serum in which the anti-toxins are contained. This reaction, although relatively rare, can, in many cases, be more life-threatening than the results of a bite from a venomous snake. IMO just one more massive piece of BS to misinform the general public – all to sell copy. Pathetic!
If the author and publisher were serious about accurate reporting and minimising harm in potential future incidents, then they would have talked about the application of pressure-immobilisation first aid, why it works and why it is important to do quickly in order to slow venom transfer to the blood circulation (allowing time for appropriate medical intervention to be sought and accessed).
Reporters that write this crap, and editors that approve it for publication, should be held accountable for endangering public health through their blatant misinformation in the name of profits.