Tim...

Let me relate a story from firsthand knowledge so that my claim of a "$50,000 snakebite" can be substantiated. This didn't happen to me, but I was there when it happened so I can personally vouch for it.

A couple friends and I were hiking in western Arizona, when one of my friends found a female Crotalus mitchelli pyrrhus (southwestern speckled rattlesnake). He was standing on a jumble of decomposed granite when the snake was spotted, and as he tried to move, a rock slid out from under his foot and he slipped. When he did so, he (understandably) stuck his left arm out to break his fall. The only problem is that in doing so he inadvertently placed his hand a little too close to the snake. The snake bit him on the knuckle of his left thumb and penetrated with one fang. I saw this happen so I can say with 100% certainty that this is EXACTLY what happened...no daredevil tricks, no stupid liberties taken. If you field herp in "rattlesnake country" this scenario could very easily happen to you.

I'll fast forward to the hospital stay, which lasted 3 days in ICU. His entire arm had swelled up grotesquely, and he had apparent bruising from his armpit all the way down to about halfway down torso. I was there to witness this firsthand, and I can tell you that from his perspective this definitely was NOT a pleasant experience.

The reason I'm telling you this is because in all he received 32 vials of CroFab...at a cost of approximately $1500.00 a vial...so, some quick calculation here....1500.00*32=$48,000.00! This of course does not include any physician fees, administration fees or any other fees relating to the incidient...this $48,000.00 represents ONLY the cost of the CroFab itself. Luckily, he had GREAT medical insurance and (because this was not a "captive snake" incident), his insurance company covered the majority of the costs.

A year later, he has suffered no long term effects from the bite...no loss of dexterity of the thumb or anything...he was lucky. We talk often about what the situation would have been like had the snake got him with BOTH fangs...it would have been decidedly nasty.

Sorry, I don't have a copy of the medical bill.

With reference to the other poster stating he wanted to work with a harmless snake to prepare him for venomous...This sounds good, and I can even see the logic in thinking this way...But in my opinion there really is no substitute for working with venomous...I don't know how to explain it, except to say that there's just something subconscious about knowing that the snake on the other end of your hook or tongs is fully capable of ending your life. That knowledge (and the corresponding way one responds to it) just can't be simulated.

I'm not saying it's a BAD idea to work with pissy non-vens...any experience is good experience in that regard...what I AM saying is that it is unrealistic to think that any amount of experience with a non-ven is going to prepare you for working with vens. Mentally (and reflexively) it just isn't so (at least not in my experience).

-Kris

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Subscribe to this Thread ] [ Show Entire Thread ]