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    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    "When snakes bite, Dallas Zoo comes to the rescue"

    Just came across this article from 2015 & thought it worth sharing, as this topic recently came up.

    http://res.dallasnews.com/interactives/snake-venom/

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    A sedge viper is among the snakes for which the Dallas Zoo does not have antivenom.
    When snakes bite, Dallas Zoo comes to the rescue

    Along with one of the country’s most impressive collections of venomous snakes, the zoo also stocks one of the largest supplies of antivenom.

    By Claire Z. Cardona | Staff Writer
    Photos by Nathan Hunsinger | Staff Photographer
    Published March 30, 2015



    When an area man was bitten by an African bush viper, the Dallas Zoo was ready to strike.
    Along with one of the country’s most impressive collections of venomous snakes, the zoo also has one of the largest supplies of antivenom.
    Most snakebites involve native species and bad judgment, jokes Bradley Lawrence, the zoo’s reptile and amphibian supervisor.
    “Most of the time it’s native venomous snakes that somebody has decided to mess around with, late at night, probably because they’ve had a few too many,” he said. “Like, ‘Oh, look, there’s a snake. Let’s pick it up!’”
    Most native snakes’ antivenom is stocked in hospitals, but when someone in the Southwest, from Louisiana to California, needs an antidote for an exotic snakebite, the zoo is often called to help.
    Such a call may come only once a year, but Lawrence said they often come about 3 a.m., and he is usually the person who answers.
    The zoo will deliver at least half of its supply of the necessary antivenom through police or CareFlite, which carries the vials by helicopter or plane. The hospitals that receive the antivenom pay to restock whatever isn’t returned.
    The Dallas Zoo keeps thousands of vials — about $200,000 worth — in a small refrigerator.

    The zoo keeps thousands of vials — about $200,000 worth — in a small refrigerator.
    The most recent call for help came in January, when a man in the Dallas-Fort Worth area was bitten by his African bush viper, an exotic species without its own antivenom.
    In such cases, the zoo sends an antivenom that scientific papers have shown could work, Lawrence said.
    The African bush viper is illegal to own in Dallas and Fort Worth, but “laws are always broken,” said Mark Pyle, president of the Dallas-Fort Worth Herpetological Society.
    Permits needed
    The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department sells controlled exotic snake permits for venomous snakes and five of the constrictor species for $20 for recreational owners and $60 for commercial permits. But cities often ban the possession of venomous snakes, wildlife permits specialist Megan Russell said.
    But she said the number of permits issued doesn’t reflect the number of people who own venomous snakes without following the rules.
    Privacy laws prevent the health care workers who treated the man who was bitten by the bush viper from discussing the case. But typically anyone bitten by such a snake in the Dallas area is treated at Parkland Memorial Hospital — which senior toxicology fellow Dr. Nancy Onisko calls “the Snakebite Center of Excellence.”

    Parkland doesn’t treat many exotic snakebites. In 2014, it treated one or two — compared with about 50 bites involving native species such as copperheads and rattlesnakes.
    Copperhead bites are the most common, and they generally involve only pain and swelling.
    The hospital occasionally treats rattlesnake bites, which can cause tissue death, blisters and other symptoms such as a rapid heartbeat and problems with blood clotting.
    For bites from copperheads, rattlesnakes and other native species, hospitals stock the antivenom CroFab.
    When treating a bite, doctors determine the kind of snake involved and familiarize themselves with the venom’s effects, the best antivenom to use and the risks. Some people can be allergic to antivenom, which is made by a few national suppliers.

    • Bradley Lawrence, the Dallas Zoo’s reptile and amphibian supervisor, handles a zebra spitting cobra. Most snakebites involve native species and bad judgment, Lawrence jokes.

    • A West African green mamba is among the venomous residents of the Dallas Zoo. When someone in the Southwest needs an antidote for an exotic snakebite, the zoo is often called to help.

    • A rare Mangshan pit viper at the Dallas Zoo. Assistant supervisor Matt Vaughan calls pit vipers “the Ferraris of the predators on the planet.”

    • A female Philippine cobra at the Dallas Zoo. Pink tags on snake enclosures indicate a venomous species.

    • Species like the spitting cobra require a face shield to be handled by zoo personnel.

    • A venomous zebra spitting cobra is among the dangerous snakes at the Dallas Zoo.


    If the potential for pain isn’t enough of a reason to stay away from venomous snakes, the cost for bite treatments should be.
    Prices for antivenom — before a hospital’s markup — range from $200 a vial for Asian snakes to $2,500 a vial for Australian species.
    Therapy usually begins with four to six vials, but up to 30 vials may be needed in extreme cases.
    “I can’t imagine the hospital bill on a snakebite,” Lawrence said.
    At the Dallas Zoo’s reptile house, each cage is labeled with information about the snake and its corresponding antivenom. About 65 of the building’s 90 species of snakes are venomous, said Ruston Hartdegen, the zoo’s curator of herpetology.
    Perhaps the nastiest of the lot is the inland taipan, one of the deadliest species in the world.
    “One drop is plenty to probably kill everybody at the zoo today,” Lawrence said of the taipan, aptly nicknamed the “fierce snake.” “Thirty minutes without antivenom is bad news.”

    All staff members are trained to work with the venomous snakes, but not all can handle the cobras and other especially dangerous species. To work with those snakes, handlers must have a second tier of skills that requires frequent training, Hartdegen said.
    On the walls where the snake keepers work are several red buttons labeled “snakebite alarm.” Covered with a thin coat of dust, the buttons are rarely used except during annual tests.
    In the zoo’s 127-year history, handlers have been bitten only three times. All of the bites were dry bites, meaning no venom was injected.
    The zoo’s snake handlers are aware of the almost entrancing lethal power snakes can have.
    Lawrence is a fan of the cobras and mambas, but assistant supervisor Matt Vaughan is a pit viper guy.
    “The Ferraris of the predators on the planet,” Vaughan said. They get their name from the two heat-sensing pits between their nostrils and eyes.
    Vaughan grew up in Weatherford, near a lake teeming with reptiles and amphibians. For a kid who was fascinated with dinosaurs, “I was in heaven,” he said.
    Mamba tattoo
    Lawrence, who has a green mamba tattoo swirling up his arm and a bearded dragon belt buckle, got his first snake — a green snake — from his science teacher father when he was 10.
    On the walls where the snake keepers at the Dallas Zoo work are several red snakebite alarm buttons. Covered with a thin coat of dust, the buttons are rarely used except during annual tests.

    “He was like, ‘You’ll never be able to make a living doing this,’” Lawrence said. “What he should have said was, ‘You’ll never be able to make a lot of money doing this.’”
    When people are reckless with venomous snakes, the zoo’s snake keepers are also put at risk, Lawrence said.
    If someone is bitten by a death adder, for example, the zoo provides all six of its vials of antivenom for treatment. That means zookeepers can’t handle their own death adders — because there would be no way to treat anyone who was bitten until there’s a new supply of antivenom.
    “That’s the part that’s irresponsible, keeping venomous snakes when you know you don’t have the antivenom,” Lawrence said. “We’d prefer if people did not keep exotic venomous things at home.”
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    What to do (and not do) if bitten by a snake

    The dangers from a snakebite run the spectrum from swelling to death. Several factors affect the severity of a bite including the snake itself, the number of strikes and how deeply the fangs penetrate. The risks also depend on where a bite occurs — in a vein or a muscle, for example — and how long it takes to start treatment.
    With warmer weather, more snakes are coming out of brumation, similar to hibernation. If you come across one, leave it alone. But if you are bitten, here’s what to do —and not to do:
    Do:

    For questions about what to do, where to go or the effects of snake venom, you can also call the North Texas Poison Center at 800-222-1222.
    If you have no means to get to an emergency facility, or if you are extremely dizzy or have trouble breathing, call 911.
    If bitten on an extremity, try to avoid moving it so the circulation of the venom might be slowed.
    Take a picture of the snake that bit you or try to remember its markings. At Parkland there are pictures of the most common snakes. Some people have brought the whole snake to the hospital after killing it.
    Don’t:

    Don’t try to suck the venom out like they do in the movies. It doesn’t work. Likewise, never make a cut where the snake bite is and try to draw the venom out. And don’t use electricity tourniquets, heat or suction devices.
    Source: Dr. Nancy Onisko, Parkland Memorial Hospital
    Snake surrender resources

    If you’re keeping a snake in your home and no longer wish to, there are several resources available. The Dallas-Fort Worth Herpetological Society will work with snake owners to find safe new homes for pets.
    It is a Class A felony in Texas to knowingly and recklessly allow the release of non-native venomous snakes.
    The herpetological society can be reached at 972-949-4191.
    SOURCES: Dallas-Fort Worth Herpetological Society; Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

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    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

  2. The Following User Says Thank You to Bogertophis For This Useful Post:

    Hugsplox (04-14-2021)

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