Beware of stiletto snakes warns snake rescuer
WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW.
Cape Town - Durban snake rescuer, Nick Evans, has warned against picking up snakes.
This comes after a man, in the south of Durban, picked one up thinking it was harmless, but it turned out to be a stiletto snake.
“Stiletto snakes are small snakes, adults usually being around 30cm in length. They are not intimidating, and many assume they’re harmless.
However, they are very quick to bite and they possess a cytotoxic venom,” Evans explained.
“Fortunately, the bite is not fatal. But it can cause a great deal of tissue damage, swelling and pain.”
He further explained that there is no safe way of handling a stiletto snake. Snake removers like himself hold snakes like mambas by their necks.
“Do that with a stiletto snake, and it will bite,” Evans said.
He said the fangs protrude out the side of the mouth and not through the skin. When this happens, “you’re in for a rough ride”.
“Holding this short, wriggling snake by the tail, is also a bad idea. It will very easily get a fang into you,” Evans said.
He said the snakebite victim went to a private hospital but he urged him to get a referral to Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital as it was a government hospital which was excellent at treating snakebites.
It is alleged the private hospital would not refer him but instead gave him antibiotics and anti-inflamation medicine .
“This did not help, and his finger got worse and worse, over days,” Evans said.
He said, luckily, the snakebite victim consulted snakebite expert Arno Naude and later Dr Timothy Hardcastle.
“With advice, he went to a GP, who opened the swollen, necrotic area, draining the swollen area, where a lot of fluid came out. The wound is now being treated, and he’ll keep his finger,” Evans said.
The snakebite victim allowed Evans to share his experience to educate others and raise awareness of the importance of not picking up snakes.
Please do not pick up snakes:
- Even if you think you know what it is.
- Send a picture for identification or removal to a professional snake remover.
- If a snakebite occurs, try to get to your nearest hospital (do not drive yourself). It is wise for you, or someone, to phone the hospital ahead, to give them a heads up. They may refer you to another hospital.
Additionally, Evans said he was trying to track snakebites in KwaZulu-Natal. He said a database showing statistics would be useful.
