Snake Handler Bitten by Death Adder

[redbellybite]

Scutatus,firstly I am FEMALE so not a dude , and secondly not aimed at you ,I AM A PERMIT HOLDER WITH QLD PARKS AND WILDLIFE........I catch vens too .....I dont agree with your doing something wrong its more like accidents happen even to the best and as long as you have put safety 1st ,sometimes ****e happens.my comments were made to people that make statements about this subject and have not got a clue what they are talking about ok.....

 

[scutatus]

My original statement was not aimed at blaming anybody, i personally dont care about people being bitten by snakes, what i do care about is any adverse reaction that wild populations suffer from the over hyped media kick back that results from these incidents.
I know what people have to go through to get dangerously venomous snake licensing. I am aware of that.

I also would correctly admit that i took my eye off the ball if i was to ever get bitten. I am not so arrogant as to assume that it wouldn't be my fault.
Snakes bite people when they feel it necessary to defend themselves, its not something they do for fun. Different species react in different ways and different individuals react differently again. There is no abosolute in this game, so one must cater for every eventuality.
The crux of what i am saying is that the unpredictable nature of what all of us are involved in should be foremost in all of our minds before, during and after undertaking any activities that involve being in the proximity of dangerously venomous snakes. I am not pointing the finger at anyone.

 

[scutatus]

So accident implies that nobody is to blame and there was absolutley no way that the incident could be prevented whatsoever?

I am sure if we were to investigate every incident you would find that there are very few if any true "accidents"

sorry about the dude thing.

 

[redbellybite]

well thats where we differ I DO CARE ABOUT BEING BITTEN......and try as I will not to be in that predicament,but as a catcher myself and every situation is different I am at a high risk of being bitten either because I have dropped the ball or it was just something that unfortunatly happend....I do agree the media hype puts a dark cloud over us but every call out I go to ,I try and educate the people about the snake and how and why and what to do for further encounters..thats all I can do ..........

 

[Tatelina]

I have my rescue course this weekend

Your signature has grammatical errors.

 

[scutatus]

Well thats all settled then......... anyone fancy a pint?

 

[snakehandler]

Accidents do happen, it can be a simple misjudgment, no-one should ever believe that they can stop all incidents of captive vens biting....however any person who keeps vens should, and most likely would accept the fact that bites happen, you need to do everything you can to prevent it, and prepare for a bite.

We have procedures in our ven areas to minimize risk of bite, but as with pythons, something can go wrong and bites happen (so far we have had none)......you just work hard at making sure it doesn't happen to you. In no way should a person think that it is always a case of poor skills or wrong attitude when ven keepers get bitten.

 

[jessb]

Your signature has grammatical errors.

where???

 

[elapid@]

Adders lovely little Adders.

 

[urodacus_au]

The venom toxicity, the venom yield, the injection equipment and the readiness of the snake to bite are all relevant when assessing how dangerous a snake is. However the reluctance of the reptile keeper to respect any or all of these points is what makes for a dangerous situation. What i am basically saying is that if you choose to keep elapids in your collection or if , as i am, you are involved wild reptile capture and release/relocation work, be well aware of the risks involved and make every effort to look after yourself and the animal. A point that was made very early in this thread was that, the last thing venomous snakes and snakes in general need is anymore bad publicity. I am sure we here all love our reptillian mates and it is up to us to help dispell the massive amount of ignorance and uncertainty that surrounds these wonderful critters.

Well said. Less bites or atleast keeping the bites quiet and without media hype is better for the animals and Elapid keepers in the long run.

Jordan

 

[ttaipan]

Well said. Less bites or atleast keeping the bites quiet and without media hype is better for the animals and Elapid keepers in the long run.

I spent 7 days in Intensive Care & 7 days in General Ward, 4 blood transfusions with 5 weeks Kidney Dialysis ( Acute Renal Failure) from a Notechis Scutatus bite Oct. 2007.
It took 29 years to take a bite from a Ven. then it only happened when i picked the "bagged" tiger snake up with thumb under knot instead of picking it up above the knot; can you believe that? I tell you now it is truth! Beautiful/placid snake i'd had for 4 years but very food conscious.
My incident did not even make the local paper (that is because my wife took me to hospital, not Ambo's) if i'd gone to hospital by Ambo it wouldve been in the news for 2 weeks. It was the sole reason why i didnt use Ambo's to go to the hospital. Venomous or non venomous dont need bad media publicity.
My hospital stay did draw a number of medical authourities from Melb. on numerous occasions to monitor me as a case study thou.
If you keep vens. sooner or latter you will get nailed!! The probable cause will be lax in concentration or over confident.

 

[scutatus]

Good on you guys (and girls!!!!), its all about staying alive, enjoying the hobby and taking care of the interests of the animals.

 

[moosenoose]

Never underestimate any of the venomous bites, some people have allergic reactions, or complications due to medication they are currently on.....

....ain't that the truth

 

[scutatus]

This is Ebsy, has been in care for quite a while, was a cat attack with extensive wounds to it's neck. I had to administer subcutaneous antibiotics/fluids and clean up the wounds every other day for two weeks........ that had me sweating at times. Doing really well now and will be rejoining the wildlife in Waroongha NSW in early summertime.

 

[redbellybite]

Peter, I am allergic to bee stings,and suffer from asthma, I did bring that subject up when my son was getting allergy tests done for his problems and asked about the epi -pen and was told that I wouldnt know my resistance towards venom untill it happend,so basically he told me dont worry about a pen as they can do more damage if used and not having a anaphalactic(spelling) attack .just to keep my puffer on hand which I do .......reckon I should see another doctor ???????

 

[snakehandler]

The question I have to ask is: Don't we as the general public have a right to privacy....why should the ambo's be allowed to give out details of the purpose of the ride......and in some cases the address of the victim?

 

[gillsy]

Exactly it's breaking doctor/patient confidentiality.

 

[snakehandler]

I thought we all had a right to pay for a service (ambulance membership is a must when owning vens or working with them) and that our details were private......

 

[-Peter]

Redbellybite, I'd be wanting a bit more reassurance than lets see what happens. Sdaji, you talked with Williams so I'm guessing you have up to date info on this subject.
Snakehandler, there are people monitoring the emergency frequencies. They give out the private information, not the ambos. Lay off the ambos, I'd trust their judgement over most people on this site anyday.

 

[gillsy]

I think this topic is dead, lets all agree to disagree.