Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Now since the story is on the news here every half hour for days
I can post these as is I hate editing.
Thanks to WvP!
The reports today say he will recover.
hope its soon.
some video links also

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WTSP (Tampa, Florida) 18 August 03 Third snake bite sends Hillsborough man to hospital (Ned Roberts)
The third serious snake bite in less than a week leaves a Hillsborough County man fighting for his life at Tampa General Hospital.
Friends say Russell Anderson's Black Mamba snake bit him sometime Saturday evening. It happened inside his mobile home near Sheldon Rd. and Waters Ave.
Anderson was taken to TGH where he was reported to be in critical condition Sunday.
Experts consider Black Mamba's to be the fastest, longest and deadliest of all venomous snakes.
A state Fish and Wildlife Commission spokesman says Anderson is licensed to possess, sell, and exhibit snakes and gators. He has a clean record and does not appear to have violated any laws, the spokesman said.
Still, some neighbors are worried about the safety of their children and pets.
Last week, Pigmy rattlesnakes bit a six-year-old boy during gym class, and a custodial worker at another Hillsborough school.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=4259

ABC ACTION NEWS (Tampa Bay, Florida) 18 August 03 Snake farmer hospitalized after poisonous black mamba attack
Town 'N Country: A Bay area snake farmer is recovering at Tampa General Hospital after one of his pets attacked him.
Russ Anderson was bitten six times by a black mamba this weekend. The poisonous snake is just one of many he raises and sells out of his Town 'N Country home.
Experts say just two drops of a black mamba's venom would be enough to kill an adult.
"Actually, there is enough venom in one of these snakes to kill several individuals," clinical toxicologist Sven Normann explained. "Those two things, the stopping breathing and the affect on the heart, are the immediate toxic principals we are concerned about."
Even though Anderson was bitten several times, experts theorize that the snake chose not to inject much venom into him. He was treated at TGH with antivenin flown in from Miami.
Anderson has a license to handle and sell the toxic snakes, but Fish and Wildlife investigator Dennis Parker (above) wanted to know if the snake was properly caged. No one was home to answer his queries.
Surprised neighbors, meanwhile, would also like to know what the situation was in Anderson's mobile home, which he shares with his children.
"They have a lot of small kids here. I've got cats outside, and I'd like to know they're safe," observed neighbor Collen Schultz.
Anderson was last listed critical condition at Tampa General, where doctors have treated three snakebites in the last week.

VIDEO of The legendary Fish and game officer D.parker knocking on door!

http://www.abcactionnews.com/stories/2003/08/030818snakebite.shtml

Hope recovers. Not only from the bite, but also from all the bad press and paranoid neighbors. Pretty funny, the neighbor is worried about the cats in the neighborhood, I guess if they are that worried, they shouldn't let their cats run around on everyone's property that doesn't own the cats.
Kevin

I'd be trapping or shooting they're cats if they were on my property. HATE seeing those destructive beasts ruining the wild species. People really need a wake-up call with regards to cats.

Van

best case scenario to this unfortunate event is as follows:
An experienced hot keeper gets tagged by his captive Black Mamba. As I understand it, not a hard thing to do as they have a reputation for being mercurial on a hook. Then realizing he has taken a potentially lethal envenomation, he does the responsible thing, what all keepers should do after being tagged, cage the animal! I suspect that this is where the other bites came from, his being responsible and fulfilling his responsibility to his family and the public resulted in the other bites. Most were probably dry by that time but it makes little difference if the animal was successfully contained. That's what counts! He kept his head, and did the right thing.

Purely supposition on my part but in the absence of info to the contrary that's how I prefer to view this unfortunate incident.

Regards,
Jeff Nichols

I really like the link I found that shows a map to the poor guys house.A lot of really bad press on this one.I hope that everything turns out good for the guy,and he makes a speedy and complete recovery.

Glen(CHM)
Link