THE ADVERTISER (Swindon, UK) 16 June 06 Bitten man on road to recovery (Daniel Knowles)
The pet shop where Swindon man Adam Ockwell was attacked by a King Cobra was fully licensed to handle the dangerous animals.
South Gloucestershire Council had issued the Reptile Zone shop in Bristol with a Dangerous Wild Animals licence.
Mr Ockwell, 22, was yesterday still in Frenchay Hospital.
The owner of the pet shop where the attack took place, Peter Blake, said Mr Ockwell was no longer in a critical condition.
Following the attack, on Tuesday evening, Mr Blake flagged down a passing police officer, who took Mr Ockwell to Frenchay Hospital.
Mr Ockwell was transferred to intensive care, while an anti-venom was sent by courier from London.
"He's been moved back to a normal ward bed and is recovering very well," Mr Blake said.
"He is no longer in a critical condition."
A South Gloucestershire Council spokeswoman said investigators had visited the shop since the attack.
"The premises in Filton are fully licensed by South Gloucestershire Council and under the terms of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act schedule, is within its rights to sell venomous snakes," she said.
"A condition of the licence requires the owner to notify the council when the snakes are to be moved on or off the premises.
"In this instance, it is understood that the member of staff was bitten on the hand while hand-feeding the snake, which had been having feeding problems.
"An officer visited the premises to investigate. However, no inquiry has been launched at this stage."
In Swindon a search of council records shows there are no Dangerous Wild Animal licences issued.
A Swindon Council spokesman said there was no blanket ban on owning dangerous animals, but owners would face stringent conditions.
All venomous snakes must be registered with the council, along with animals including alligators, ostriches, moose, giant armadillos, some spiders and scorpions, walruses, seals, sea lions and wild cats.
Emma Neal, co-owner of Exotic Pet Co in Morley Street, said that snakes were popular pets but poisonous varieties were not allowed in Swindon.
Ms Neal said the poisonous snakes did not make good pets anyway. She said non-venomous snakes and lizards did not require licences and were popular.
Filton pet shop owner Mr Blake insisted Mr Ockwell was highly experienced and knew exactly what he was doing with the Cobra which can kill a man in 15 minutes with its venom.
Mr Ockwell had written an online guide to caring for Jungle Carpet Pythons and contributed to Reptile Care magazine, he added.
"Adam is an expert in his field and spent thousands of hours handling snakes," Mr Blake said.
Avon and Somerset Police said they would not be investigating the unusual workplace injury.
Mr Blake said the Cobra the longest of all the venomous snakes was not being sold in the shop but was part of a breeding programme.
Venomfacts
King Cobra venom is a powerful neurotoxin that shuts down its victim's nervous system.
If enough venom gets into a bite victim, they stop breathing and die.
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine spokesman Alan Hughes said poisonous snake bites were treated with anti-venom. He said that anti-venom was created by injecting small amounts of venom into large animals, usually horses.
The horses then create antibodies to defend themselves against the venom.
Blood is then taken from the horses, the antibodies removed and stored in concentrated form the anti-venom. When a person is bitten, the anti-venom is injected and the antibodies attach themselves to the venom, neutralising it.
Anti-venom is stored at the school of tropical health and hospitals and other facilities around the UK.

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