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WSOC (Charlotte, N Carolina) 02 May 06 Man Bitten By Copperhead; Experts Warn To Be Alert
Fort Mill, S.C.: Experts said warmer weather and recent rains are drawing copperheads -- venomous, aggressive reptiles native to North Carolina -- out in the open.
A full-grown copperhead was caught on the Regent Park golf course Saturday. Now it belongs to Bruce Eisenmann, of the Carolina Reptile Exchange in Fort Mill.
Poisonous snakes begin appearing this time of year and Barry Norman knows that too well. A copperhead bit his finger Monday as he was working in a flower bed. He admits that he tried to pull the snake out of the ground when he was bit.
"When I pulled it out he spun around and bit me and I let go of him real fast," Norman said.
Despite the sharp stinging pain and numbness in his finger, he didn't go the emergency room.
"If he'd gotten a good bite I'd have been on my way to the hospital," Norman said.
Experts said that as temperatures climb, it is the time to remember that snakes are in the woods you walk in and under the logs you step over but not necessarily a big threat.
"You have much more to worry about getting in a car every day, and driving," said Winthrop University biology professor Dr. Bill Rogers.
Rogers said it's unlikely you'll encounter a copperhead, or any poisonous snake, but it's important to be alert.
"Anybody who sees a snake, it's always a stunning experience, and if you think about it, it's a stunning experience because you don't see too many snakes," said Rogers.
Rogers said he's been hurt by more cars than snakes, and as a biology professor he goes snake hunting all the time. He said a rare copperhead bite can be bad enough to put you in the hospital, but often it's more like a very painful bee sting.
Obviously, Rogers said, with children and the elderly the risk is greater.
Man Bitten By Copperhead
