Dangerous snake encounter incidents

[Lisbeth]

At least you divide the tasks

[Flutterby]

[Richprins]

Very good this! I wonder if it's the same Donald that was down here at the Nelspruit Reptile Park...I took kids there often and he is very committed indeed!

[Lisbeth]

Don't you recognize him

[Richprins]

I think so!

[Lisbeth]

[Lisbeth]

First aid for snakebites



Posted on 30 July, 2018 by News Desk in Multimedia, News, Wildlife and the News Desk post series

[Richprins]

Snake farm manager dies from black mamba bite
2018-10-01 12:03

Christina Pitt


A 26-year-old snake farm manager died doing what he loved most when he was bitten by a black mamba.

The snake's fang punctured Ryan Soobrayan's finger while he was trying to extract its venom on Saturday, a statement from his employers at African Reptiles and Venom stated.

"He had a severe anaphylactic reaction from the mamba venom. His untimely demise was not due to the bite but as a result of anaphylaxis."

Johan Marais, a herpetologist at the African Snakebite Institute, explained that it usually took between three and 16 hours to die from a black mamba snakebite.

"You need to get to hospital as quickly as possible because black mambas have neurotoxic venom, which affects the breathing," Marais said.

"At the hospital, you will receive assisted breathing. They will put you on a ventilator and use CPR to revive you. Ryan was exposed to venom all the time. What's strange here, is that he did not die from the venom. His body went into shock or anaphylaxis."


Symptoms include a numbness of the lips, slurred speech and progressive weakness. Large quantities of antivenom are required to treat the snake bite.

The black mamba is known to be the largest venomous snake in Africa and grows to the maximum length of 4.5m.

According to the African Snakebite Institute website, the black mamba has a reputation for being shy, but will not hesitate to strike repeatedly if threatened.

Soobrayan's fiancé Jacquelyn Sewcharan took to social media to express her grief.

"You always wanted to make an impact in the world my love. Look at what you have done - social media is going crazy with your heroism and they should," she wrote.

"You were the most amazing person I've ever known. I have no words to describe you, no words to say because nothing will ever be enough."

https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News ... e-20181001

[Lisbeth]

It's dangerous to become too sure of yourself when doing a dangerous thing

[Lisbeth]

2019-03-26 07:31
Sharlene Rood

phpBB [video]

One Pretoria mom got much more than she bargained for during a recent trip to the North West, when a Mozambique spitting cobra unexpectedly reared its head from a toilet her daughter was using.

The incident happened at about 20.30 on Tuesday, March 19.

"It was very scary, something that only ever happens in movies," Juliette Roos told News24.

Roos her husband Johan and two children weren't camping far from the Nyati Sportschool, where her son participated in a rugby tournament.

The school is situated roughly 40 km outside Brits.

Roos says her 5-year old daughter had just finished using the toilet when she first spotted the snake.

"It's head was protruding from the bowl."

A friend of her daughter was also in the cubicle. She didn't want to alarm or traumatise the little girls and asked them to turn around and called her husband.

"I went ice cold," said Roos, who was able to keep her daughter calm.

"I definitely did not expect to find a snake in the toilet," Johan told News24. He said he thought he would encounter a spider in the bathroom.

"When my wife told me there's a snake I didn't believe her at first."

Then the snake reared its head again and it sent shivers down his spine.

Johan said he phoned a friend who is knowledgeable about snakes and the friend confirmed that it was a cobra.

Johan tried removing it from the toilet bowl but gave up after realising he didn't have the right equipment for the job.

"We decided to leave the snake in peace."

No one was injured during the incident.

"I think my daughter was very lucky to have escaped unscathed," Johan said.

Durban-based snake expert Byron Zimmerman told News24 that the toilet snake was indeed a Mozambique spitting cobra.

"How it got in there is anyone's guess but I suspect through the top. It is unlikely it came through the pipe," he said.

He added that Mozambique spitting cobras eat toads so "it makes sense that it was near the plumbing".

These snakes are highly venomous. Their venom is cytotoxic, causing massive swelling and loss of tissue, Zimmerman said.

"It's probably the most common venomous species through the eastern side of South Africa."

It's best to leave these snakes alone, he added.

"They spit their venom as well, so eye protection is advised if dealing with them.

Roos estimates the snake had to be at least 2 metres in length.

"But it's hard to say as we never even saw its tail," she said.

The couple told News24 they locked the door to the cubicle in question and alerted management at the resort to the slithery intruder.

"We used a different cubicle after that," Roos said adding that in future, while camping, she’ll definitely look twice before sitting down to use the toilet.