How not to handle venomous snakes...

Dedicated exclusively to field herping.

Moderator: Scott Waters

Post Reply
User avatar
herpseeker1978
Posts: 1139
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 8:05 am
Location: Albuquerque

How not to handle venomous snakes...

Post by herpseeker1978 »

I have a friend who is going to be doing a presentation on how not to handle venomous snakes in the field. He is looking for pictures or video clips of questionable methods of handling hots in the field. He is also looking for pictures or videos of bites as well. If you have any pictures you would be willing to share please post them here or e-mail me at [email protected] . You will of course be credited in the presentation.

Josh
User avatar
Fieldnotes
Posts: 1474
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:12 pm
Location: Anaheim, California
Contact:

Re: How not to handle venomous snakes...

Post by Fieldnotes »

This is the perfect video as NOT to handle a Venomous Snake. This video is all that is needed to get an "A+"

Its just amazing that this guy is not in a lot of pain yet... Key word here is "yet."

http://youtu.be/uWn8Dq62nQ8

If this guy truly understood snakes, then he would understand rattlers are unpredictable and will strike or slide around to gape a bite without warning.
User avatar
Rags
Posts: 384
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 12:30 pm
Location: U.K.

Re: How not to handle venomous snakes...

Post by Rags »

Maybe your friend could get hold of some footage of the Pentecostal snake handlers in the south eastern states. That would be a good way of opening a presentation.
RobK

Re: How not to handle venomous snakes...

Post by RobK »

Fieldnotes wrote:This is the perfect video as NOT to handle a Venomous Snake. This video is all that is needed to get an "A+"

Its just amazing that this guy is not in a lot of pain yet... Key word here is "yet."

http://youtu.be/uWn8Dq62nQ8

If this guy truly understood snakes, then he would understand rattlers are unpredictable and will strike or slide around to gape a bite without warning.
Are you talking about this guy? He's the same one in your vid.

User avatar
Rags
Posts: 384
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 12:30 pm
Location: U.K.

Re: How not to handle venomous snakes...

Post by Rags »

Key word here is "yet."
Prophetic words Fieldnotes...
Terry Vandeventer
Posts: 68
Joined: June 19th, 2010, 4:58 am

Re: How not to handle venomous snakes...

Post by Terry Vandeventer »

I watched the video of this fellow in the hospital and was amazed at the rather miner extent of the swelling. I was further alarmed that the plastic surgeon was insisting on a fasciotomy to relieve the swelling. Now, we don't have all of the information in front of us so we can't take into consideration things like neurological problems, organ shut down, etc., but visually, the swelling in the hand and arm is not significant enough to warrent surgery, IMO. With the exception to the temporary swelling in his leg, the physical appearance of his hand, arm, and side is similar to that of a copperhead bite.

Helleri often produces very serious symtomsand even death, but a fasciotomy isn't going to have any affects on systemic envenoming whatsoever. The surgery will cause a longer and more expensive hospital stay, and will open him up (no pun intended) to possible infections. I know that if I were in his shoes, from what I see here, I too, would refuse to sign a surgical release. Since my bite in 1981, which resulted in a 13 1/2" X 2 1/4" fasciotomy induced skin graft, three surgeries, and 25 days in the hospital (with no antivenin), my policy is no cutting.

I hope I didn't commandeer this thread. My appologies as it was not my intent. But I think that doctors are often too fast to cut on snakebites, and plastic surgeons need to stay away from treating internal poisoning with a scalpel.

Thanks for letting me vent,

Terry Vandeventer
krz
Posts: 68
Joined: December 21st, 2010, 9:17 am

Re: How not to handle venomous snakes...

Post by krz »

If you would like more info on bites and handling email us at [email protected].
Terry, Very well said it is very rare if ever surgery is needed to treat a bite. After effects of tissue damage may warrant surgery but antivenin is advised for treating severe envenomation.

Jim Harrison
User avatar
Martti Niskanen
Posts: 363
Joined: June 11th, 2010, 11:19 am
Location: Helsinki, Finland

Re: How not to handle venomous snakes...

Post by Martti Niskanen »

User avatar
jdustin
Posts: 454
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:59 am
Location: UTAH
Contact:

Re: How not to handle venomous snakes...

Post by jdustin »

A very stupid 15-16 year old version of myself, holding a mojave. Do not be that guy.

Image
User avatar
chrish
Posts: 3295
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:14 pm
Location: San Antonio, TX
Contact:

Re: How not to handle venomous snakes...

Post by chrish »

Fieldnotes wrote:This is the perfect video as NOT to handle a Venomous Snake. This video is all that is needed to get an "A+"

Its just amazing that this guy is not in a lot of pain yet... Key word here is "yet."

http://youtu.be/uWn8Dq62nQ8

If this guy truly understood snakes, then he would understand rattlers are unpredictable and will strike or slide around to gape a bite without warning.
I call BS on that video. That snake neither looks nor acts like a wild helleri. I suspect it is a LTC used to being handled.

He's still a nimrod just not the "snake whisperer" he wants you to believe.

Rags wrote:Maybe your friend could get hold of some footage of the Pentecostal snake handlers in the south eastern states. That would be a good way of opening a presentation.
I've always thought it interesting that those groups flourish in a part of the US that has relatively docile and slightly less venomous snakes (Timbers and Northern Copperheads). Funny how they didn't set up any branches of their church in Prairie Rattlesnake country or Mohave Rattlesnake country. Hmmm....
User avatar
monklet
Posts: 2648
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 4:44 pm
Location: Ventura, CA
Contact:

Re: How not to handle venomous snakes...

Post by monklet »

Are you talking about this guy? He's the same one in your vid.
Cool! :lol: ...how's that for tootin' your own flute eh? The more I see this crap the more I say, "jolly good show mate! ...way to impress the chicks" :roll: ...no hero, just zero.
User avatar
Scott Waters
Site Admin
Posts: 692
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 4:08 am
Contact:

Re: How not to handle venomous snakes...

Post by Scott Waters »

Go to 1:20-ish....

krz
Posts: 68
Joined: December 21st, 2010, 9:17 am

Re: How not to handle venomous snakes...

Post by krz »

We have one church death in Kentucky due to a Crotalus atrox. All the deaths in Kentucky from snakebite in the last 25 years have been religious handlers. Last being a Crotalus horridus bite to the face. I have reviewed many of these bites and most were from freshly collected Crotalus. Ones kept for any amount of time are usually dehydrated and unhealthy leading to less chance of a serious envenomation. The guy in the video bitten by the southern pacific did not look as bad as some of the severe envenomations I have seen by copperheads (Agkistrodon ssp).

Jim Harrison
User avatar
Fieldnotes
Posts: 1474
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:12 pm
Location: Anaheim, California
Contact:

Re: How not to handle venomous snakes...

Post by Fieldnotes »

RobK wrote: Are you talking about this guy? He's the same one in your vid.
LOL !! :lol:

Yeah, that’s the dude and to be bitten in front of clients must have embarrassed the hell out of him.


On a separate note, I see a lot of people holding rattlers from behind the head with their forefinger beneath its mouth and around the throat area. This is also a good way to be bitten for the fangs have potential of reaching that finger.
User avatar
Scott_Wahlberg
Posts: 100
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 2:01 pm
Location: Nacogdoches, TX

Re: How not to handle venomous snakes...

Post by Scott_Wahlberg »

Here's some pics in reference to Chrish's response.

http://www.life.com/hdgallery/38752/sna ... s#index/24

-Scott
ugh

Re: How not to handle venomous snakes...

Post by ugh »

Luckily I quickly got past the temptation to handle hots.Took a year or two, and the camera helped immensely.

Never been tagged. Best reason I can think of why is, I try my hardest not to give the snakes a reason to bite me.
User avatar
cayrip
Posts: 275
Joined: October 29th, 2010, 7:06 am
Location: Denver, CO

Re: How not to handle venomous snakes...

Post by cayrip »

Scott_Wahlberg wrote:Here's some pics in reference to Chrish's response.

http://www.life.com/hdgallery/38752/sna ... s#index/24

-Scott
I see a large taxispilota in the mix---must have been for the not-so-believing individuals. :twisted:

Thanks for sharing these...interesting photos to say the least.
RobK

Re: How not to handle venomous snakes...

Post by RobK »

Fieldnotes wrote:
RobK wrote: Are you talking about this guy? He's the same one in your vid.
LOL !! :lol:

Yeah, that’s the dude and to be bitten in front of clients must have embarrassed the hell out of him.


On a separate note, I see a lot of people holding rattlers from behind the head with their forefinger beneath its mouth and around the throat area. This is also a good way to be bitten for the fangs have potential of reaching that finger.
Yep:
User avatar
Gyri
Posts: 919
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 4:18 pm
Location: Northern New England

Re: How not to handle venomous snakes...

Post by Gyri »

I sure wish I had actually taken bets on how long that guy from fieldnote's and RobK's posts would take to get bit.
User avatar
DaveR
Posts: 230
Joined: October 9th, 2010, 12:00 pm
Location: Rochester, NY

Re: How not to handle venomous snakes...

Post by DaveR »

I wonder how South. Pac. dude paid for his treatment?? Cali. taxpayers maybe?
Post Reply