# Site General > General Herp > Herp Broadcast >  GREAT! Now a lady gets bitten by a cobra in a shopping center parking lot!

## iCandiBallPythons

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/br.../82840842.html

Phila. Zoo goes to the rescue of cobra bite victim

By Sam Wood 

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

A Maryland woman who was bitten by an exotic cobra over the weekend may owe her life to the quick action of snake specialists at the Philadelphia Zoo.

The woman walked into a Baltimore clinic Sunday night reporting she had been in a shopping center parking lot when she bent down to pick up what she thought was a stick. 

The "stick," a two-foot monocled cobra, sank a fang into one of her fingers, said Elisa Armacost, spokeswoman for the Baltimore Fire Department.

The woman, who has not been identified by name, bagged the offending snake and took it along with her to the clinic, Armacost said. Clinic staffers called the fire department. 

"They were looking for guidance on what to do with the snake," Armacost said. 

Medics took the woman to Johns Hopkins University Hospital as fire department personnel began a frantic search for a source of antivenin, Armacost said. 

One of the calls reached Jason Bell, assistant curator of reptiles and amphibians at the Philadelphia Zoo.

Bell rushed to the Zoo to retrieve 30 vials of South-African made antivenin. State police met him there, planning on flying the serum by helicopter to Hopkins. But heavy rains had grounded the chopper, so troopers sped the antivenom to Maryland where they delivered it to a waiting ambulance near the state border, Bell said.

Doctors used 10 vials of the antivenin, Bell said. 

The woman, who told authorities that the snake did not belong to her, was reported to be in stable condition.

The snake was transferred to a zoo in Frederick County, Md. 

A bite from a cobra can cause "tremendous pain" soon after the skin is punctured, Bell said. As the venom takes hold, muscle paralysis can set in and breathing can become impossible. 

"She was very lucky. She was bitten on the finger and not closer to the heart. Some cobra bites can cause rapid death."

It's unclear if the woman would have died from the bite if not treated with the antivenom.

"It depends on the size of the snake," Bell said.

The Zoo stocks 21 varieties of antivenin for snakes that are not indigenous to the United States, Bell said. The University of Pennsylvania keeps a large collection of antivenin serums to treat domestic snake bites. The stock is available for use by poison control centers and hospitals nationwide.

It's not often that the Zoo needs to rush to the rescue with snake bite antidotes. 

"I've been at the Zoo for 10 years and this is my first experience with it," Bell said.

Native to southeast Asia, monocled cobras can grow to 6-feet, and are typically brown or black. On the back of the snake's hood is a circular pattern that resembles a large eye or monocle.

Andrew Baker, the Zoo's chief operating officer, said venomous snakes are better left to the professionals.

"They make very poor pets and they present a safety risk to the person who owns them and anyone else in the house," Baker said. "We recommend dogs or cats instead. If you're wild for reptiles, go for a small boa or a king snake rather than something venomous."

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## Elise.m

I bet she'll think twice before picking up any stick from now on. I sure would!

Glad she made it though.

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## BPelizabeth

:Surprised:   She bagged the snake after it bit her!  I don't think there are many ppl out there that know or could bag a cobra without more bites.  Especially without having the proper equipment.  

Maybe it is just me...but this sounds a little fishy.

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## kc261

She thought it was a stick??  Even if she did, why was she picking up the stick?

And then, she remained calm enough after having been bitten by a stick that suddenly transformed into a poisonous snake, to safely bag the snake without acquiring any more bites.

No, nothing fishy there.   :Confused:

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_broadude_ (01-28-2010),reixox (02-07-2010)

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## iCandiBallPythons

> She thought it was a stick??  Even if she did, why was she picking up the stick?
> 
> And then, she remained calm enough after having been bitten by a stick that suddenly transformed into a poisonous snake, to safely bag the snake without acquiring any more bites.
> 
> No, nothing fishy there.


You made me LoL... I found this on Kingsnake this morning and was like what the hell lol.

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## BPelizabeth

Anddddddddddd...it happened in Maryland.  Now maybe I am just having a blonde moment.....but it is pretty flippin cold there.  And the Cobra was hanging out in the parking lot the mall or wherever for that much????  

 :Weirdface:   I gotta stop putting those white streaks in my hair.

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## broadude

Could it have been her snake, and she was setting up an incident to sue later?

Or she got bit and covered up the incident by claiming it wasn't her snake to keep out of any possible problems with the law? :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## wilomn

petaphile or hsusass is my guess.

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## jason79

I'm betting it was her snake and she made up this story to try to avoid the hospital bills. They are going to be huge.

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## brainman1000

YouTube - Woman Bitten By Cobra Bags Snake, Takes To Docs

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## j_h_smith

I live in Maryland and I've got to call BS on this one.  Too cold this time of year.  Have you ever heard of a cobra striking without hooding first?  Who in their right mind (non herp types excluded) would pick up a snake once bitten?  The Baltimore Zoo stocks anti venom.  

Now, lets say this person owned this Monocled Cobra (probably one of the most kept cobras in the hobby) and was bit.  She knows that it's illegal to keep venomous in the state, but knew she needed help.  How in the world could a cobra escape from someone's home and go out into the cold, when it's designed for warmer weather?  Even a corn snake will seek warmth, not cold.  I claim total BS.

Jim Smith

ps this has not made the local news at all.  I will keep track of the news and see if anything shows up.

Just found some articles on this.  Most were released today.  Here's one that is taking this story with a good dose of reallity.  Good read.
http://dailyme.com/story/20100128000...n-experts.html

I bet that if they released her name, I could tell you if she's into hots or at least snakes in general.

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_broadude_ (01-28-2010)

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## BAD Morphs

> She bagged the snake after it bit her!  I don't think there are many ppl out there that know or could bag a cobra without more bites.  Especially without having the proper equipment.  
> 
> Maybe it is just me...but this sounds a little fishy.


I thought the same exact thing! What average person especially since most ppl are afraid of snakes would wrangle it up AFTER it bit her and bag it so she could take it with her???? I find that seriously very hard to believe!

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## vjb

Does any of this story make sense to anyone here? 
I see cobras all of the time here in Maryland and they do look just like sticks. How many sticks has this lady picked up in the parking lot of shopping centers?
Does anyone here pick up sticks they see lying in parking lots?  :Rolleyes2:

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## iCandiBallPythons

I know things in the story  just don't add up to me.

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## BAD Morphs

I think that vet hit the nail on the head in the video! There is no way a cobra could survive in baltomore this time of yr period!!! The dumb lady probably had it as a pet and made the scenario up as the others here have said to avoid the law and hospital bills but thats just MO.

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## BPelizabeth

well sounds like they are calling this bologna as well.  

Bent over to pick up a stick at the store at 7 pm....ahhhhhhhhhh yea :Fishslap:

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## kc261

In the youtube news video that was linked, they point out that bagging the snake and bringing it with her to the docs is something a snake expert would do.  I think this story is so ridiculous that even the media is seeing through it!  Yay!

It also says the snake was taken to a zoo and will join the collection there.  Glad there is a happy ending for the snake for once.  Double Yay!

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## kc261

> Does anyone here pick up sticks they see lying in parking lots?


Well, you know, if I happened to see a stick that looked just like a real live cobra, I'd probably pick it up too!

Er... wait a minute.  First I'd run away.  Then I'd find a REALLY long stick, to poke at the other stick, and make sure it is just a stick.  THEN I'd pick it up.  That's assuming I ever believed for half a second that it was a stick in the first place.

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## Freakie_frog

I smell fishes...

Ok first non snake person get's bit by a cobra your not picking it up and bagging it..Second if you can't tell the difference in a cobra and a stick you need glasses. 

I think it was her snake and to avoid insurance issues she claimed she found it..Home owners insurance will drop you like a cheap date if you get bite by a venomous snake that you own...

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## BAD Morphs

the really good part is it happened at 7pm at night. I am from Pa and at 7pm its pitch black and has been for about 1.5hrs or so. So now really who the heck picks up sticks in the middle of night that are laying on the ground? LMAO!

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## joepythons

> She bagged the snake after it bit her!
> Maybe it is just me...but this sounds a little fishy.


I was thinking the exact thing! Unless you have equipment to handle hots you can not just pick them up  :Wink: .I call bull crap as far as this story is concerned  :Mad:

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## Jt.

What?

Does no one else enjoy the sport of stick-picking-uping?  :Weirdface:

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## joepythons

This is what i think happened.The lady was handling her cobra and let her guard down and was bitting.Now because of her ignorance everyone will think every stick in a parking lot is a killer snake  :Mad: .So she added to the negative thoughts concerning reptiles  :Mad:   :Mad:   :Mad: .In the next couple days we will get the real truth.

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## Foschi Exotic Serpents

> What?
> 
> Does no one else enjoy the sport of stick-picking-uping?


Looks like its just you n me  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## Freakie_frog

> What?
> 
> Does no one else enjoy the sport of stick-picking-uping?


I do but only as a warm up to my real passion cobra-baggy-stuffing.

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## Beardedragon

> Well, you know, if I happened to see a stick that looked just like a real live cobra, I'd probably pick it up too!
> 
> Er... wait a minute.  First I'd run away.  Then I'd find a REALLY long stick, to poke at the other stick, and make sure it is just a stick.  THEN I'd pick it up.  That's assuming I ever believed for half a second that it was a stick in the first place.



But then what if that other really long stick was the Cobra, and the other was just in fact a cobra looking stick?

LOL, really though, She then bagged the snake and took it somewhere? If I were bit I think id call 911... I think drugs were involved if she could stay that calm.

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## Elise.m

I think the stick picking up is definitely fishy. Before I was even into Herps, I knew that if you're bit by a venomous snake it helps the drs to see the snake to decide which antivenom they should give you. I learned that just from watching Animal Planet.

I think it's a far stretch to say that she happened to watch the same shows and came to the same conclusion.

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## dsirkle

> She bagged the snake after it bit her!  I don't think there are many ppl out there that know or could bag a cobra without more bites.  Especially without having the proper equipment.  
> 
> Maybe it is just me...but this sounds a little fishy.


My thoughts exactly.

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## wolfy-hound

I'd love to know exactly what sort of "bag"she had it in.  Because I'll bet it was a snake bag like us herpers keep around for our PET snakes.  

I'll join in.  It's her snake, or her kid's or boyfriend's, and she messed with it and got bit, lied to prevent them/her from getting into trouble, and yes, I'd pick up a stick.  But if I picked up a stick, you can darn well know it would be a STICK, not a cobra.  Similarities aside, one is wood, one is snake, it's not normally too hard to tell the difference.

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## wilomn

> I'd love to know exactly what sort of "bag"she had it in.  Because I'll bet it was a snake bag like us herpers keep around for our PET snakes.  
> 
> I'll join in.  It's her snake, or her kid's or boyfriend's, and she messed with it and got bit, lied to prevent them/her from getting into trouble, and yes, I'd pick up a stick.  But if I picked up a stick, you can darn well know it would be a STICK, not a cobra.  Similarities aside, one is wood, one is snake, it's not normally too hard to tell the difference.


Exactly. 

I know I always keep a container or two and at least two snake bags in my car, but I make my living with reptiles, occasionally make purchases or trades, and rarely, go out into the field to find them.

I don't see a non-snake owner having a snake bag handy nor the skill to bag a cobra. I've bagged cobras. It's not easy.

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## BPelizabeth

Oh what H-E double hockey sticks....put it in a macy's bag :ROFL:

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## xdeus

I'll play the devil's advocate even though I, too, think something is fishy about this story.

If I wasn't into snakes and saw an interesting looking stick on the ground, I would probably pick it up or at least take a closer look.  A cobra-looking stick would probably be a pretty awesome stick, as far as sticks go.  :Razz: 

Also, I don't believe the story mentioned whether or not the snake was dead.  She may have killed the snake during her cobra-induced adrenalin rush, then found whatever bag was laying around.

However, even with those two scenarios, I still find it highly unlikely that a cobra would be wandering around a parking lot in Baltimore during the winter...

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## WesleyTF

I think the whole thing is BS, but the bagging doesn't surprise me... a cobra in baltimore would be easy to bag this time of year.  It'd be frozen(and dead)

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## Stalker Jesus

I don't think the zoo would keep a dead cobra  :Razz:

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## WesleyTF

it'd also be easy to calculate how long the snake would have to live if someone knew the temp in the area at the time.  Assume it started from the best possible temp and use newton's law of cooling.  It wouldn't be long before it'd be too cold to live.

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## Clear

> Harrison believes ownership of venomous snakes should be strictly regulated, and owners should be required to keep their own antivenin.


I agree to atleast the later of the 2

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## angllady2

Now, in that lady's defense I HAVE almost picked up a stick that was a snake.

I was about 9 or 10, and down in Irondale MO where it pretty backwoods country.  One day about 4 in the afternoon during summer I was walking the gravel road and saw what I thought was a 2' long stick in the gravel.  Being a kid, sticks are cool toys, so I bent down to pick it up.  Imagine my surprise when the "stick" moved!!  My hand was about 4" from said snake, and needless to say I backed up in a hurry.  I watched it for a while, until it moved off into the high weeds.

When I told my mom about the incident, she said it was probably just a baby black snake, and since they eat rats I'd done a good thing by leaving it alone.  So maybe this lady really DID think it was a stick.  I noticed she's also got some oceanfront property in Arizona for sale, so she has to be trustworthy, right?  :Wink: 

I don't believe for one second that even if she did think it was a stick, that she just happened to have a snake bag handy, and just happened to know how to pick up a snake that had just bitten her and bag it without another bite.  Any normal person who gets bitten by a mysterious snake is NOT going to have the presence of mind to catch it, bag it, and take it with them to a clinic.  They are going to call 911 in a panic claiming they were bitten by a 50' long snake that just ate the neighbor's dog. To quote my kids, " Watch it Pinocchio, your gonna put someone's eye out with that thing!" 

I hope they prosecute her.  I wonder if anyone has had the sense to search her house for evidence the snake is hers?

gale

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## Kuba

> Now, in that lady's defense I HAVE almost picked up a stick that was a snake.
> 
> I was about 9 or 10, and down in Irondale MO where it pretty backwoods country.  One day about 4 in the afternoon during summer I was walking the gravel road and saw what I thought was a 2' long stick in the gravel.  Being a kid, sticks are cool toys, so I bent down to pick it up.  Imagine my surprise when the "stick" moved!!  My hand was about 4" from said snake, and needless to say I backed up in a hurry.  I watched it for a while, until it moved off into the high weeds.
> 
> When I told my mom about the incident, she said it was probably just a baby black snake, and since they eat rats I'd done a good thing by leaving it alone.  So maybe this lady really DID think it was a stick.  I noticed she's also got some oceanfront property in Arizona for sale, so she has to be trustworthy, right? 
> 
> I don't believe for one second that even if she did think it was a stick, that she just happened to have a snake bag handy, and just happened to know how to pick up a snake that had just bitten her and bag it without another bite.  Any normal person who gets bitten by a mysterious snake is NOT going to have the presence of mind to catch it, bag it, and take it with them to a clinic.  They are going to call 911 in a panic claiming they were bitten by a 50' long snake that just ate the neighbor's dog. To quote my kids, " Watch it Pinocchio, your gonna put someone's eye out with that thing!" 
> 
> I hope they prosecute her.  I wonder if anyone has had the sense to search her house for evidence the snake is hers?
> ...


You where only nine, this is an adult, what is the reason to pick up a stick in a parky lot if you are a grown up person?

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## Fallout32

Here's something to think about. Who said she was ever in that parking lot when she got bit besides her? She drove herself to the clinic, which means she really could have driven from anywhere. And we already know that it was "most likely"  :Razz:  her snake. And I don't know any hot keeper that would take their cobra to a parking lot to handle it. My guess is she got tagged at home and didn't want to catch legal (and financial) backlash for it so she made up the parking lot story. She would have the hook there to bag it without more bites also. Food for thought...  :Smile:

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## greghall

fishy,its illegal to keep venomous in Md.

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## singingtothewheat

I wonder what the law is for owning a cobra there.  I am having a hard time buying this.   I think this was her animal and she got bit.  However a stick that looked like a monocled cobra would be a pretty cool stick! :ROFL:

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## j_h_smith

Hots are illegal to own in Maryland.  I heard something on the radio that she was being charged today.  Charged with what, I don't know.  But most people from the very beginning realized the story was BS.  I would assume she was charged with a DNR violation.  I'll check to see if I can find anything more specific.

Jim Smith

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## Diamond_1028

What was she doing picking up "The stick" for?  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):  How does a stick look like a cobra  :ROFL: 

Than all of a sudden she bags it with no worries of getting bitten again or even worried about wasting time til the venom kicks in to action  :Confused: 

Just like the other people said she's probably trying to sue, dumb lady  :Irked2:

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## dr del

Heh,




> I would assume she was charged with a DNR violation.


Please tell me this stands for "Do Not Recuscitate"  :Please:   :ROFL:   :ROFL:   :ROFL: 

Enforced darwinism - gotta love it.  :Salute: 


dr del

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## BPelizabeth

dang nasty reptile.....bite..... :sploosh:   ok ok....that is DNRB

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## jason79

Department of natural resources.

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## j_h_smith

> Department of natural resources.




BINGO :Dancin' Banana:  :Dancin' Banana:  :Dancin' Banana:

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## rabernet

> Hots are illegal to own in Maryland.  I heard something on the radio that she was being charged today.  Charged with what, I don't know.  But most people from the very beginning realized the story was BS.  I would assume she was charged with a DNR violation.  I'll check to see if I can find anything more specific.
> 
> Jim Smith


I was just thinking about this today and wondering whether they'd exposed the real story yet or not. Please keep us posted.

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## j_h_smith

I just searched the net for any local news about this and came up empty.  I do know I heard something about it on the radio today, but I can't find anything on the news webpages.   Maybe the 11 oclock news will say something aobut it.

Jim Smith

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## j_h_smith

Just as I thought.  The DNR are charging her.  Here's the article.

BALTIMORE -- Police with the Department of Natural Resources have charged a woman with possession of a venomous snake after she recently claimed she was bitten by one.

Last month, 58-year-old Betsy Nighthorse claimed she was bitten by a cobra that she discovered in a White Marsh parking lot. 

 Police investigating her claim found another snake -- a Neo Tropical Rattlesnake -- at her home in Hydes. The snake was about 4 feet long and 4 inches in diameter.

The rattlesnake was taken to the Catoctin Mountain Zoo in Thurmont, as was the cobra.

Nighthorse is due in court in April. She could get a $1,000 for each count.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't know the lady.  Not associated with anyone that I know.  She may be a Native American Indian, judging by her last name.  

I really thought it would have been a known hots owner that lives in the same general area.  Oh well, she's getting off really easy if she's only being charged by the DNR.

Jim Smith

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## singingtothewheat

Just as I thought.  This was her snake, she didn't wanna get busted for illegal snakes but her plan was utterly stupid.  shessshhhh

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## Vypyrz

Maybe somebody dropped their Moses stick while they were loading up their car. It can happen...

Check out 2:20. I'm just saying...

YouTube - Ten Commandments 5/8

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## shaggie

Man I was hoping it was true cause it going to be in the low 40s tomorrow and I was hoping to find a couple of really bright yellow sticks(eyelash vipers)

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## nixer

how did she explain that nice cloth bag?

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