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DAILY BULLETIN (Ontario, California) 29 August 06 Man bitten by 'possum-playing rattlesnake (Jason Newell)
Rancho Cucamonga: A man was flown to a hospital by helicopter Monday evening after being bitten on the foot by a rattlesnake he thought he had killed, fire officials said.
The 49-year-old man encountered the snake at his home around 6:40 p.m. and tried to behead it with a shovel, Rancho Cucamonga fire Battalion Chief Jim Curatalo said.
"The head was almost off," Curatalo said. "It was hanging there."
Yet as the man attempted to transfer the seemingly dead snake to a plastic bag, it fell to the ground and bit his big toe.
Fire officials responded and brought the man to a nearby fire station, where he was loaded onto a helicopter bound for Loma Linda University Medical Center, Curatalo said.
His condition was not known Monday night.
The snake, which was captured and killed by firefighter Aaron Segaar and Capt. Ty Harris, accompanied its victim to the hospital to help doctors determine how to counteract its venom, Curatalo said.
Man bitten by 'possum-playing rattlesnake

who do you feel more sorry for?

I feel really sorry for that poor defenseless man who was clearly in danger by the reptile that dared to trespass into his yard. I know I frequently behead people with a shovel that come into my yard.......

lol that was funny

i really hope that dude felt pain.
i obviously dont want him to die but i hope it burned like hell and he wished he wouldve left it alone...

I feel sorry for the shovel. It has to feel used and abused.
-----
Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Rescued Ball Python - Apep
0-0-1 Rescued Bearded Dragon - Zeus
0-0-1 Rescued Non-Alpha Green Iguana - Bud
1-2-0 Rescued Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet, Isis
0-0-1 Rescued Fit and Trim Panda Hamster - Mr. Fluffy
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids

the story itself sounds a bit odd...like perhaps he was trying to step on it or something...not just use a shovel and then it "fell" on him

I haven't got a clear picture of what actually happened in this scenario. All I know is that if the man had left the snake alone, we wouldn't have to try to figure out just how ignorant he was.

When I lived up North I had two friends who lived in an area heavily populated with rattlers. One would get in her car, open the garage door with the remote, and burn rubber in hopes of backing over one in her driveway. The other kept a basket of large, heavy rocks in every room on the second floor. That way whenever she saw any snake in her yard, she would open a window and pelt the animal--she actually killed two that I knew of. They were both ignorant, but didn't need to be airlifted. Some things just make me stop and wonder. . .

rgds,
althea

as someone on here says conservation through education!

I feel sorry for the author of the article-it must be painful to be that stupid. Most animals have a bit of "life" after the head is off-I've shot geese and tyrukeys through the head that took a full 5 minutes to "die". Everyone knows the expression running around like a chicken with its head cut off-and stories of rattlers' and even snapping turtles' heads biting after removal are common.
I feel sorry for the snake too, but it's dead by now and doesn't have to deal with stupidity any more, even if it was a bad death-at lease he got even on the way down.