Let me start by saying I don't mean any disrespect to Mr. Peterman. My heart certainly goes out to his family and friends.



A venomous snakebite from a captive snake does not result from a "bad day", although it can certainly cause one's day to turn bad. There are no accidents, and no bad luck. and no circumstances beyond the keeper's control. A venomous snakebite results from a mistake on the keeper's part, pure and simple. It is the result of:

A) Incorrect or faulty or inadequate equipment

B) Incorrect technique

C) Poor judgement



There are no other causes.



Just because a person is "experienced" with keeping venomous snakes does not mean he or she is using the right equipment and techiques. You can do something wrong for years and get away with it for years. That just makes you lucky. If you do something incorrectly for years, you are still doing it incorrectly. In keeping venomous snakes there only two ways to do things. The right way and the wrong way. Just because you don't get bitten doesnan you are doing it right. I've seen people get away with woefully bad habits and techniques for years. As I said before, they were just lucky. But sometimes luck runs out. If you have your hand in the strike zone of an unrestrained Rhino Viper, you are doing it wrong. If you have your hand in the strike zone of a Rhino Viper during feeding, you are REALLY doing it wrong.



The rules for handling venomous snakes are:



1. Never handle venomous snakes if you are alone. Always have another person within earshot.



2. Use the correct tool for the job. Don't use an 18" cage hook to handle a 6 foot Eastern Diamondback. Don't use 12" forceps to feed a 3 foot Rhino Viper. If the job calls for restraining a snake, go get the tubes and restrain the snake. In other words, there are no shortcuts.



3. Keep yourself (that means ALL parts) out of the strike range at all times.



4. Always keep your eye on the snake and your concentration on what you are doing. Control the HEAD. That's the end that bites. No conversations, no commentaries no showing off. When you are handling tha animal, that's ALL you are doing.



5. Have a well rehearsed emergency plan. It should include the telephone numbers you are to call in an event, the exact route you will take to the hospital and at least one alternate route and some sort of card to take with you to the hospital identifying the species you were bitten by, the antivenin required and the phone numbers of nearby sources as well as any pertinent medical info...allergies, etc. This information is included on my feeding cards, so I put the feeding card in my shirt pocket while I'm handling the snake.



6. Make sure you know the proper techniques. The techniques for handling Elapids is different from handling Viperids or Crotalids. The techniques for handling small snakes is different from large ones. The techniques for handling arboreals is different than for terrestrials.



7. Before you ever open a cage, go over what you are going to do in your head. Locate the snake before you open the cage and keep your eye on him. Already have your tools in your hand and ready.



8. After the snake is placed back in his enclosure, double check all latches and locks.



Mr. Peterman obviously made a mistake. He was bitten on the hand by a Rhino Viper he was feeding, so he obviously had his hand within the strike range. Nobody is perfect, I've certainly made my share of mistakes and sometimes had to pay for them. Every single time though, it was my fault. It was something that I did. I knew better, I had been taught better and did it anyway. It wasn't bad luck, it was a bad decision. We are the humans, and we are the ones that will make the mistakes, the snake is going to react perfectly every time. I was just luckier than Mr. Peterman. The fact remains, though, that if you follow all of the rules every time, you will never get bitten. When you stray from the plan is when you will have an opportunity for disaster to strike.

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