STAR-GAZETTE (Elmira, New York) 13 June 06 Snake wrangler improves - 67-year-old man, bitten Saturday by a rattler, upgraded to good condition. (George Osgood)
Danville, Pa.: Amos Osborn, bitten by a large rattlesnake during the 51st Annual Morris Rattlesnake Roundup on Saturday, was listed in good condition Monday at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville.
Osborn had been listed in serious condition on Sunday, but his condition improved significantly overnight.
He was trying to pin a rattlesnake in the snake pit at about 4 p.m. Saturday when the rattler pulled his head free and bit him on the hand. Three punctures indicate that the snake struck Osborn twice, Morris Fire Chief Dean Kreger said.
Osborn, 67, has handled eastern timber rattlesnakes for 50 of the roundup's 51 years. But the last few have brought bad luck.
Osborn nearly died after a rattler bit him during the 2003 roundup and he had an allergic reaction to antivenin, the drug used to counteract the effects of snake venom.
On Saturday, the snake struck Osborn after it managed to twist its head free of the pinning stick, which resembles a golf club with a narrow, L-shaped piece of steel where the club head would be.
In a related matter, Morris firefighters vowed to continue the annual roundup despite the anticipated implementation of restrictive hunting guidelines next year by the state's Fish and Boat Commission, whose dominion includes reptiles.
Rules expected to take effect next year would impose a $25 hunting-permit fee on rattlesnake hunters, allow the capture of only male snakes and limit hunters to rattlers at least 42 inches long. The current permit fee is $5, and there are no size or sex restrictions.
The Morris Township Volunteer Fire Department sponsors the hunt, which is one of its most-important fundraisers. After a successful weekend, firefighters said they would continue the event despite new regulations.
"There will always be a Morris Rattlesnake Roundup," Kreger said. "We will never quit, even if we have to use rubber snakes."
Snake wrangler improves

[ Show Entire Thread ]