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Near misses...
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by Snake18 on September 18, 2005
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Hy guys,
If you`re not to busy, I would like to hear what close calls you all haved, with what species, and the reason fot them happening. I know most of you never got bitten by hots but I would like to hear the "it almost happened one time" stories. I think everyone would have to learn from other peoples mistakes.
Best regards, Alex S.
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RE: Near misses...
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by Dadee on September 19, 2005
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I couldn't agree more Alex. If people were to share those, it could allow some who've never "seen" those types of situations to run the scenarios out in their heads, before they too get "almost bit".
Matt
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RE: Near misses...
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by bush_viper17 on September 19, 2005
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A while back I suggested a question for the "survey" section on this site. I asked: If you have ever been bitten by a captive venomous snake, how did the bite take place
1.While doing routine cleaning
2.While bagging/moving the snake
3.While handling the snake for no important reason
4.Misjudged Strike Distance
5.While trying to restrain the snake(pinning/etc)
6.While Feeding the Snake
7.Other, please verify.
I thought that it would be a way to get a good idea of what we all need to work on more. Another possible answer could be 8.A distraction while working with the snake(phone,friends/family,television etc.)
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RE: Near misses...
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by Cro on September 19, 2005
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Alex: On the subject of Close Calls, there are a couple I can think of.
I once hooked a large pygmy rattlesnake out of a cage that was above head level on a shelf. The snake sort of formed a circle, and slid down the hook and landed on top of my hand. I think he was as surprized as I was. I quickly dropped the hook, snake and all. I was not bitten, but the snake sure had the opportunity. After that, I used a chair to stand on when working those high cages.
Another time I was holding the back half of a 14 foot king cobra, while a friend held it behind the head with one hand, and tried to remove a eye cap with with tweezers with his other hand. Well, the king pulled back strongly, and my friend lost the grip he had. I was left holding the back half of the king, with the front half being free. It was kind of spooky for a couple of seconds, as the king tried to decide what to do. Fortunatly, my friend made a quick grab and grabbed the snake just behind the head, and we finished with the eye cap. After that, we removed eye caps on the king through cut out access holes in tubes.
Another time I was working a cage containing two very large Ottaman Vipers at the zoo. There is a view lenz in the cage door that you can look through to see where the snakes are before you open the cage. Well, I looked through the view lenz, and both snakes had their heads near the front of the cage, so I unlatched the door, and opened it. In the time it took to unlatch the door, one of the vipers had mooved back so his head was right next to the door opening. I found myself face to face with the viper, with only a few inches between us. This snake was known to have a bad feeding reflex, and was somewhat of a pain to work with. Fortunatly, I mooved back, and the snake did not strike, but I was well within his striking range. So I learned that in the half second that it takes to open a cage door, the snake can moove and be right next to the door.
Hope these help others to be always carefull.
Best Regards JohnZ
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by Cro on September 19, 2005
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Alex: Another close call comes to mind, which shows how outside factors can change things in a hurry. We had a display cage at the zoo, with about 12 or 13 Sisturus ravis. There was a lot of rocks and other material in the cage, that provided a lot of hiding places for these snakes. Usually, the snakes would remain coiled, and you could reach above them and remove the water dish, which was near the front of the cage. After I removed the water dish, cleaned it, and refilled it, I was reaching over the coiled snakes to put the water dish back in place, when someone on the exhibit side of the cage thought it would be cute to knock on the glass cage front. Well, when he did this, I suddenly had Sisturus ravis snakes going every which way throughout the cage. It turned out to be a zoo employee from the primate building who was showing off the reptile building to his girlfriend. Needless to say, I was not too happy about his actions, as knocking on the glass on the reptile cages is a major problem, and he should have known better. I was tempted to beat the crap out of him, or feed him to one of the crocodiles, but decided it was better to have him banned forever from the reptile building. He spent the rest of his zoo careere working with his closest relatives in the primate building. JohnZ
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RE: Near misses...
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by Snake18 on September 20, 2005
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loool...
Nice one on the zoo story. Also, the king cobra experience would have realy frightened me.
I had several close calls, one too many if you ask me. I was hit on the hand by 2 vipers(1 V.a. montandoni & 1 V.berus), but not bitten, the usual head strike. I had an adult Vipera berus fall in the palm of my hand. It was on the edge of a table and I tried to lift it up with my hook. unfortunatly I pushed it of the edge and out of insctinct I reached and grabbed the snake befor it hit the concrete. Fortunatly it didn`t bite.
Once, while measuring my huge V.a.meridionalis, I grabed it behind the head and it jerked realy violently and got loose from my grip. It flew right past my hand, nose and lef knee. Man...was that a frigthtened experience.
One of my first hot encounters was with a 4ft+ cottonmouth turned out not to be too cool. I didn`t handle it. A friend of mine, who had it took the glass of the front part of the cage. The cotton kept rattling it`s tail and it suddenly struk twords my chest. in that split second. my friend put the glass in front of the snake and it bit the glass. 2 huge spots of venom were on the glass. I realy think that would have been a fatal bite for me.
All of my close calls happened because of ignoracne on my behalf and lack of judgement.
Keep safe y`all.
Best regards, Alex S.
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by Buzztail1 on September 20, 2005
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Too much to write here.
Here is a link to the whole story:
http://www.venomousreptiles.org/articles/13
Let me know what you think.
Karl
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by ALA_herp31 on September 20, 2005
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Naja haje the Egyptian Cobra, wile working at Limestone Zoo, AL. I was getting the Snake out to Clean the Cage, the Cage was at chest level. I normally would Hook the tail out of the Cage, then grab the tail and put the Hook under the rest of the body. Well, when I got her clear of the Cage she done what she would normally do. She spread her neck, faced towards me and rode the Hook like a pro. This day, for some reason she decided to come Open Mouth, strait for me. She lunged so hard, that she came down the Hook Shaft. She missed my hand by less than 2in., now this was when I soiled my pants. Thinking back on it now, I see the mistakes that I made. One thing is that, I had the Hook End up to high. This allowed the Snake to lunge up the Shaft, without any effort. Today I do not tail any Venomous Snakes, unless absolutely needed. If I wouldn’t have removed my hand from the Hook, I probably wouldn’t be talking to ya’ll today. I would like to recommend, that all the New and Young Herpers Here and About’s, take what they read here in this Topic to Heart “It could save you life one day”....................................Be safe ya’ll and watch your hands, Happy Herping : Wally
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by Dadee on September 24, 2005
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Karl,
Whoa man, I had no idea you were so close to me. I spent quite a bit of time (my early teachings in handling vens actually) in Vesuvius, VA...real close to where you were "rescuing" all those snakes around VMI. What, by chance, had you located there?
Curious,
Matt
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