This place is about 45 min from where i live

Deadly Viper Missing in Crawford

BUCYRUS -- An African snake whose venom can kill an adult in 15 minutes remained missing Tuesday evening, the Crawford County Sheriff's Department said.

Phil Gallant, 43, of 1940 Brokensword Road in Lyken Township, reported a Gaboon viper was stolen from his home early Monday morning.

The poisonous snake, about 12 inches long and tan and white, was in a small white plastic container.

Bucyrus police searched a South Sandusky Avenue residence Monday, but the snake was not found.

Police said the only bites they know of in the case are from a dog.

Gallant was bitten by a dog Monday morning when he went to the residence to confront a man he believed had taken the snake, police said. Gallant's hands and head were injured and he was treated at Galion Community Hospital. The dog owner was served a confinement notice.

Officer Ralph Grubel said the dog jumped into a fight between Gallant and the man he accused of taking the snake.

Gaboon pit vipers live in the rain forests of Africa. Its venom can be fatal to an adult within 15 minutes, according to the sheriff's department.

On Feb. 7 Gallant was bitten by one of the poisonous snakes he keeps in a climate-controlled building at his home. He was taken to Bucyrus Community Hospital then flown to a Cincinnati hospital where he was treated with antivenin. Gallant has 60 to 70 snakes, most of them nonpoisonous. largest is a 140-pound Burmese python.

Gaboon Viper