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
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NY Press: Round-up wrangler improves
Replies (4)
They should use rubber snakes.........rattlesnake roundups are just wrong, any way you try to spin it.
to put it VERY lightly, that guy got what he deserved. i wish he would have died. after all hes probably killed hundreds of rattlers if hes been doing it for 50 years. those are the type of people they need to let die from the snake bite. maybe it would teach the other "wranglers" (more like murderers) a lesson. sorry for the harshness of this post but i cant stand these people.
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1.1 BCI, 1.0 Bearded Dragon
the bear eats you!
At least they are putting some restrictions on these boys, just wonder who is going to enforce them?
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Cheers
Lateralis
"I would rather be precisely wrong than approximately right"
Marion "Doc" Ford
I'm not going to wish death on anyone quite yet, but I am surprised that officials think this kind of activity can be adequately governed by a $25 hunting fee. It's a little amazing to me that a hot collector could be declined coverage in the event of a bite by his insurance, but these guys seem to have no insurance issues when they are actively provoking the animals.
