Harmless snake bite sends woman to hospital
A Sea View woman spent two days in hospital after she was bitten by a suspected harmful snake which was actually a spotted bush snake.
THE Bluff-based snake catcher Warren Dick had a routine call about a suspected harmful snake in a Sea View home on August 24 turn into a lesson on the importance of correctly identifying snakes.
Also read: Snake catcher shrugs off second black mamba bite with third snake capture
Dick was contacted by a young man who spotted a snake in his parents’ bedroom. After describing it, Dick was certain it was a harmless spotted bush snake. The young man insisted that it was harmful as it bit his mother, and she had spent two days in hospital because of the bite.
Not wanting to dismiss the possibility that he could have been mistaken, Dick went to the home to locate the snake.
Capturing the snake
Dick arrived to find a bedroom almost completely stripped with just the mattress, a couple of shoes and a built-in cupboard remaining.
Dick said he searched everywhere but could not find it, until he noticed a small gap between the wall and the built-in cupboard.
“Knowing bush snakes as I do, I knew it had to be in there. I went and got my endoscope out the car, a nifty little wired camera that works with a smart phone, allowing one to inspect tight spaces. I stuck the camera in the little hole that could barely fit the tip of my finger and sure enough I saw the snake and it was a harmless spotted bush snake,” said Dick.
Also read: How to spot a bush snake
Despite confirming that the snake was harmless and not a threat, the family still wanted the snake gone. Dick broke open the bottom of the cupboard before being able to safely retrieve the snake.
“I must say that the people’s first response of getting to a hospital was commendable and the right thing to do, but the second thing they should have done or even the doctor at the hospital, was phone a snake expert to correctly identify the snake,” he said.
Dick emphasised that while not every green snake is a threat, every snake bite should be taken seriously until the snake has been correctly identified and the victim has been assessed by medical professionals.
Contact:
For snake removals or identification, Warren Dick can be contacted on 072 211 0353.
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