4 ms·

In the last few days I've seen two Eastern Brown snakes within 30 metres of my house. My neighbor has, in the past month, seen a Tiger, Brown, two Blacks, and

by Jedd 9y ago

In the last few days I've seen two Eastern Brown snakes within 30 metres of my house. My neighbor has, in the past month, seen a Tiger, Brown, two Blacks, and a death adder within 50 metres of theirs. We're both about a half hour from the nearest place that keeps anti-venom, assuming we could drive that distance after a bite. Any advances on this front would be huge for so many people - from cheaper, coverage for more species, immunisation, longer shelf life, self service (epi pen style) etc. Hippie romances... not so interesting though.

IAmGraydon 9y ago
If you have local Death Adders, I'm guessing you're in Australia. That being the case, and since there are so many venomous animals in that part of the world, shouldn't you have an anti-venom kit on hand at all times kind of like most people have fire extinguishers and first aid kits?
- Jedd 9y ago
  Yes - about 200km north west of Sydney. At least we don't see taipans. And... possibly. But my understanding is they're expensive / in short supply, require careful environmental control (though a fridge probably cuts it) and they have a relatively short shelf life. Plus in many cases, people most at risk are a good way from cool storage. I think there's also a need in some - but thankfully not all cases now - to identify the species via swab & test. If you get bit, you probably know the type that bit you, but it's not guaranteed.
  - jakeogh 9y ago
    Perfect use case for a long range drone.
- caf 9y ago
  Not even all regional hospitals are stocking antivenom anymore :( http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-30/snake-bite-deaths-could-rise-if-hospitals-dont-stock-antivenom/9365082 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-30/snake-bite-deaths-coul...
- robbiep 9y ago
  About 50% or more of cases don’t actually result in envenomation, so you would be wasting expensive antivenom that comes itself with severe side effects. Death adders and tipans will end your life rapidly but browns, blacks and the rest you should have enough time to get to hospital. When someone turns up in ED we need to make sure they are envenomated before administering the antidote. Further, everything in health is decided by economics. There are 550 snake bites in Australia (approx) with around 2 deaths a year. Antivenom costs around $5-10k per hit. Economics of making it ‘more’ available don’t really add up, and we do a pretty damn good with current availability
- Gustomaximus 9y ago
  I live acreage on the outskirts of Brisbane. We see these snakes semi regularly. Its a fairly low risk. Something like 70/80% of bites happen when someone is trying to catch/kill the snake. Browns and Taipans are the ones I'm afraid of, the rest are unlikely to kill you. What we do is keep compression bandages ready. Other than anti-venom, which I believe is expensive and has a 5 year shelf life if refrigerated, this is the next best thing you can do. I know of some people at very remote properties keep antivenom but they are many hours from a hospital. Here's a naughty python I had to get out of the chicken coop 2 weeks ago: https://photos.app.goo.gl/FS1oVoxdW4hXTnsx1 https://photos.app.goo.gl/FS1oVoxdW4hXTnsx1
yorby 9y ago
if you don't step on a snake by mistake, you have very little chance to get bit... it's not like they go out and hunt humans... I've seen rattle snakes (2) and a coral snake in the wild and I had to be very careful not to scare them away just to take a picture.
- sdrothrock 9y ago
  When I was a kid mowing the lawn, which was adjacent to a thinly-forested area, I ran over rattlesnakes at least half a dozen times... in those cases, if I hadn't been mowing, I definitely would have just stepped on it. I don't think it's too unlikely that people could stumble over a snake in grass while just playing around outside.
- King-Aaron 9y ago
  FYI: Snake advice in most places in the world doesn't translate to advice that should be taken in Australia. I.e. if you cross paths with a Tiger Snake - particularly if it's shedding or in breeding season - it will probably chase you down.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - wallace_f 9y ago
    AFAIK this idea is not necessarily substantiated by reality. The breeding/shedding thing is a myth: www.parks.tas.gov.au/?base=4750 And the supposed general aggression of Tiger snakes is a popular cultural exaggeration. They do prefer to retreat. They're supposedly only aggressive if cornered or attacked first: https://australianmuseum.net.au/tiger-snake https://australianmuseum.net.au/tiger-snake Personally, of venomous snakes, I've only ever seen Browns and Blacks, both always decided, with extreme urgency, to run away. I once saw a couple of cunts swatting at a juvenile brown with a water bottle. Given that people will be stupid, and yet only a few die a year from snakes, I think you can safely worry about more serious threats to your life: like sugar, bankers, or politicians.
    - 9y ago

by Jedd 9y ago

IAmGraydon 9y ago

If you have local Death Adders, I'm guessing you're in Australia. That being the case, and since there are so many venomous animals in that part of the world, shouldn't you have an anti-venom kit on hand at all times kind of like most people have fire extinguishers and first aid kits?

Jedd 9y ago
Yes - about 200km north west of Sydney. At least we don't see taipans. And... possibly. But my understanding is they're expensive / in short supply, require careful environmental control (though a fridge probably cuts it) and they have a relatively short shelf life. Plus in many cases, people most at risk are a good way from cool storage. I think there's also a need in some - but thankfully not all cases now - to identify the species via swab & test. If you get bit, you probably know the type that bit you, but it's not guaranteed.
- jakeogh 9y ago
  Perfect use case for a long range drone.
caf 9y ago
Not even all regional hospitals are stocking antivenom anymore :( http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-30/snake-bite-deaths-could-rise-if-hospitals-dont-stock-antivenom/9365082 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-30/snake-bite-deaths-coul...
robbiep 9y ago
About 50% or more of cases don’t actually result in envenomation, so you would be wasting expensive antivenom that comes itself with severe side effects. Death adders and tipans will end your life rapidly but browns, blacks and the rest you should have enough time to get to hospital. When someone turns up in ED we need to make sure they are envenomated before administering the antidote. Further, everything in health is decided by economics. There are 550 snake bites in Australia (approx) with around 2 deaths a year. Antivenom costs around $5-10k per hit. Economics of making it ‘more’ available don’t really add up, and we do a pretty damn good with current availability
Gustomaximus 9y ago
I live acreage on the outskirts of Brisbane. We see these snakes semi regularly. Its a fairly low risk. Something like 70/80% of bites happen when someone is trying to catch/kill the snake. Browns and Taipans are the ones I'm afraid of, the rest are unlikely to kill you. What we do is keep compression bandages ready. Other than anti-venom, which I believe is expensive and has a 5 year shelf life if refrigerated, this is the next best thing you can do. I know of some people at very remote properties keep antivenom but they are many hours from a hospital. Here's a naughty python I had to get out of the chicken coop 2 weeks ago: https://photos.app.goo.gl/FS1oVoxdW4hXTnsx1 https://photos.app.goo.gl/FS1oVoxdW4hXTnsx1

yorby 9y ago

if you don't step on a snake by mistake, you have very little chance to get bit... it's not like they go out and hunt humans... I've seen rattle snakes (2) and a coral snake in the wild and I had to be very careful not to scare them away just to take a picture.

sdrothrock 9y ago
When I was a kid mowing the lawn, which was adjacent to a thinly-forested area, I ran over rattlesnakes at least half a dozen times... in those cases, if I hadn't been mowing, I definitely would have just stepped on it. I don't think it's too unlikely that people could stumble over a snake in grass while just playing around outside.
King-Aaron 9y ago
FYI: Snake advice in most places in the world doesn't translate to advice that should be taken in Australia. I.e. if you cross paths with a Tiger Snake - particularly if it's shedding or in breeding season - it will probably chase you down.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- wallace_f 9y ago
  AFAIK this idea is not necessarily substantiated by reality. The breeding/shedding thing is a myth: www.parks.tas.gov.au/?base=4750 And the supposed general aggression of Tiger snakes is a popular cultural exaggeration. They do prefer to retreat. They're supposedly only aggressive if cornered or attacked first: https://australianmuseum.net.au/tiger-snake https://australianmuseum.net.au/tiger-snake Personally, of venomous snakes, I've only ever seen Browns and Blacks, both always decided, with extreme urgency, to run away. I once saw a couple of cunts swatting at a juvenile brown with a water bottle. Given that people will be stupid, and yet only a few die a year from snakes, I think you can safely worry about more serious threats to your life: like sugar, bankers, or politicians.
  - 9y ago