An Eventful day

An Eventful day

Postby Scavenger » Sun Oct 25, 2009 11:15 am

Well yesterday my friends and I decided to go on a little herping mission, and our chosen location was mount moreland.The day had begun on a very good note our first catch was a hatchling Water monitor Varanus niloticus then an unknown species of thread snake (unfortunately no pics). After much searching the mission became a little pear shaped my brother and my one friend had walked up ahead while I was searching some rubble, all of a sudden I heard a lot of shouts and screams as I quickly ran there, my friend had said he had got bitten and they were both convinced it was a mamba. As I was not there to identify the snake I was going to have to take their word for it, so I immediately got hold of my father who came and fetched us and took us to the hospital. By this time he said the bite site was burning and that he was getting a tingly sensation in his hands and feet. Anyways I was still unconvinced it was a mamba as an hour had past and he wasn't showing any serious signs other than sore muscles and the bite site was swelling up, to cut a long story short he has spent the night in ICU and will be out today. Whatever the snake was he was seriously lucky it wasn't anything to serious this has been a very important lesson for both him and my brother as I had warned them not to grab any snake unless they could identify before hand. The friend that got bitten understands his mistake, and does not blame the snake but himself for being very stupid. I think he'll be a lot more careful if and when he comes herping again :lol:

Pics of the hatchling monitor
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Re: An Eventful day

Postby gaboon69 » Sun Oct 25, 2009 12:02 pm

Such stories are always funny to listen to. A guy I know once caught a juvenile D. polylepis with his bare hands which wasnt too far from the bar where the guys were drinking heavily. He was flown to the closest hospital. The stupid things humans do...
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Re: An Eventful day

Postby Scavenger » Sun Oct 25, 2009 12:21 pm

Ja will be quite a funny story to talk about, especially since all of this happened on my 18th will definitely be unforgetable :)
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Re: An Eventful day

Postby Fooble » Sun Oct 25, 2009 4:14 pm

I just love those little monitors.

Glad everything turned out good i was quite shocked when you called at told me the situation geees!
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Re: An Eventful day

Postby shamroth » Sun Oct 25, 2009 5:51 pm

awesome little monitor, wish i could get my hands on one
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Re: An Eventful day

Postby Scavenger » Sun Oct 25, 2009 5:58 pm

Dude you telling me eish when he told me he had been bitten by a suppossed "mamba" I thought he was joking. Flip it was hectic and like I said today he staying in another night because his whole arm has swelled up which to me suggests a cytotoxic bite?? not a mamba
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Re: An Eventful day

Postby Fooble » Sun Oct 25, 2009 6:37 pm

Maybe, but think about it was species are in that locality that will produce symptoms like that and of course what snake.
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Re: An Eventful day

Postby Scavenger » Sun Oct 25, 2009 6:47 pm

Ya would be interesting to find out what snake it was. Keen to go visit the area again it seems like a hot spot for herping, found a housie, thread snake, water monitor and unknown lol.
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Re: An Eventful day

Postby Buck Rogers » Mon Oct 26, 2009 12:14 pm

Beautiful little fellow there, where did you find it? I think the little ones are a lot easier to catch than the larger ones - especially near rocks and water.
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Re: An Eventful day

Postby Scavenger » Mon Oct 26, 2009 4:11 pm

We caught the little guy on a pile of rubble near the river running past mount moreland, was a very small monitor.
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Re: An Eventful day

Postby Durban Keeper » Wed Oct 28, 2009 5:07 am

Happy Bday for the 18th past! hope it got better after the 'mamba' bite! Sorry I could not join you guys!
Dean.
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Re: An Eventful day

Postby Snakes4Africa » Wed Oct 28, 2009 7:35 am

When Umhlanga hospital phoned me on Sunday morning I asked all the usual questions and gathered that the victim knew a little about snakes, but not quite as much as he needed. The "Mamba" was reported to be 20cm long. Hmmm.
When I suggested to him that it may be a Herald or a Stilletto snake, he told me "No, definately not, I know those snakes." Hmmmm
Sounds to me more like a Stilletto snake.
We tell the public to have a good look at the snake if possible and here even a 'herper' did not even know what it was!
The lesson here, be careful out there!
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The same is true of those who continue to make the same mistakes.



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Re: An Eventful day

Postby Scavenger » Wed Oct 28, 2009 10:50 am

@Dean Was a very interesting day thats all I can say, thanks dude :)

@S4A at the time of the bite I did get your contact details from Tyrone and tried to phone you, but you were unavailable. My friend does know a little( I emphasise a little because they've never come herping with me before) about snakes and has been bitten by a herald a couple of times so we ruled that snake out and as for a stilleto I seriously doubt it as the snake was out basking on the road when they spotted it, the snake was also reported at 40cm not 20cm. From their descriptions I believe it to be one of the grass snake species possibly Psammophis mossambicus?? as the swelling was very localized and after sitting my brother down and showing him a picture of the species mentioned, he agreed with me. I for one though was glad it wasn't a serious bite and as I was not the one to see the snake, we had to take precautions as both the victim and my brother were seriously worried it was a mamba.
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