Reptile & Amphibian Forums

THE RECORD (Hackensack, New Jersey) 01 February 11 Fair Lawn man, 25, in critical condition after pet albino cobra bite (Marlene Naanes)
Fair Lawn: A borough man is in critical condition after his pet albino Monocled Cobra bit him, sending him into respiratory distress, police said.
The 25-year-old man bought the cobra, an eastern diamondback rattlesnake and a copperhead snake in Pennsylvania earlier Monday, thinking the snakes’ venom sacks had been removed.
The cobra bit the man about 6:30 p.m., animal control officer Rich DuBarton said. He began having trouble breathing, and his wife called 911 about 9:30 p.m., said Sgt. Rich Schultz.
“When he realized the sacks weren’t removed and he was having issues breathing, they called an ambulance,” Schultz said.
DuBarton said police at the scene said the man was gray and barely breathing.
“The only place you see a cobra is at the zoo,’ DuBarton said. “That’s not something you mess around with. When they bite somebody, it’s usually fatal.”
The man was taken to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson and was later transferred to Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, N.Y. The hospital has the only snakebite treatment center in the Tri-state area, according to the hospital.
Police did not identify the man.
DuBarton removed the snakes, which were in aquariums, from the River Road home Monday night. The home also had scorpions, tarantulas and a rabbit, DuBarton said.
“That cobra was not happy,” he said. “He had his hood up. I just locked the lids…he definitely was not happy. He was striking at the glass.”
The rattlesnake also was shaking its tail as DuBarton carried it out in an aquarium, he said.
DuBarton took them to the borough pound. The state fish and wildlife department is expected to take the snakes Tuesday.
Owners of snakes need special training and permits, police said.
“This department wishes to remind residents that ownership of species such as these carry immense responsibility, and should always be treated with respect regardless of whether the venom sac has been removed or not,” the Fair Lawn police department said in a statement issued Tuesday morning.
http://www.northjersey.com/topstories/fairlawn/020111_Fair_Lawn_man_25_in_serious_condition_after_pet_cobra_bite.html

WRCB (Chattanooga, Tennessee) 31 January 11 Official cause of death determined in snake bite case (Megan Boatwright)
East Ridge, TN.: Eyewitness News is learning more about an East Ridge man, who died after he was bitten by a copperhead.
Officials tell us the snake bit 26-year-old Wade Westbrook just above the elbow.
Within minutes, he was unconscious.
His mother tells Channel 3 this is not the first time he's been bitten by that same type of snake.
Officials say Westbrook died of anaphylactic shock.
Reports indicate 36 minutes passed from the time 911 was called to Westbrook's arrival at Erlanger.
According to police reports, he was unconscious for 10 minutes before 911 was even called.
Wade Westbrook was a husband and father. He spent Saturday with his 3-year-old son before a friend brought a small copperhead snake to his home on Blanton Drive.
"More snake bites happen from people trying to handle snakes whether it's out in the woods, or just found one in the home or whatever," says Dr. Chris Moore.
That is exactly what Westbrook was doing when he the snake struck. Dr. Chris Moore is the Director of Wilderness Medicine for the University of Tennessee and says death from snake bites, especially copperheads, are rare.
"In most cases copperhead bites are treated with observation and support without ever having to give anti-venom," says Dr. Moore.
Westbrook was pronounced dead upon arrival at Erlanger.
According to East Ridge police reports, Westbrook tried to extract the venom with a tool after he was bitten, then he began coughing and vomiting before he collapsed.
"The death certificate lists that he died due to anaphylactic shock as a result of the snake bite," says Eric Hopkins, spokesperson for the East Ridge Police Department.
Westbrook's family declined to talk on camera, but his mother tells Channel 3 he's been fascinated with snakes since he was a boy.
He'd been bitten by a copperhead snake before, which is probably why police reports show 911 wasn't called for 10 minutes after he collapsed.
Moore says you never know when someone will go into shock.
"Patients can get hypersensitized to snakes, not only from previous bites, but studies have shown that people that handle snakes can develop hypersensitivity to them," says Dr. Moore.
Anaphylaxis is a severe form of allergic reaction.
Dr. Moore says it's an immediate life-threatening situation.
Police aren't releasing the name of the friend who brought the snake over that night and don't believe the copperhead was a pet.
The case is still under investigation, but police don't expect to file charges.
http://www.wrcbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13940577

If Eric Bortz, who was bitten by this cobra dies, I wonder if the seller who assured him the snake had "no poison glands" even after the snake bit him could be held responsible for murder?

http://www.northjersey.com/topstories/fairlawn/020111_Fair_Lawn_man_25_in_serious_condition_after_pet_cobra_bite.html

From the above -> "He bought the three snakes in Pennsylvania during the weekend, thinking the snakes’ venom sacs had been removed, Fair Lawn Police Sgt. Richard E. Schultz said."

Also -> "Bortz called the seller after he was bit to make sure the sacs had been removed, and the seller reassured him they were, Schultz said."

At least be it a lesson to those who foolishly free handle venomoids because they think they are "safe"...You better trust the person you received the animal from & hope nothing "grew back". A snake with venom dangerous to people should be treated as such wither it has been mutilated or not.

...thats what you get...
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1.0 c.b.02' 7' Pastel Colombian Boa (BCI)(thanks Bill!)"Maverick"
0.1 c.b.06' 6' Firebelly x Pastel Boa (BCI) "Betty Boa"
0.1 c.b. 07 6' Amazon Basin Redtail Boa (BCC)"Lola Boa"
1.0 c.b. 05 6' Blonde Bullsnake "Boo"
1.0 c.b. 05' 4 1/2' Snow Corn "Zero"
1.0 wc 4' Fl.Cornsnake "Iggy"
0.1 cb 18" Okeetee Cornsnake "Bella"
1.0 wc 3'Everglades x Yellow Ratsnake "Achmed"
1.1 wc LTC Southern WhiteLip Pythons "Thorne and Ariel"

National Animal Advocacy Group Weighs in on Fair Lawn Snake Bite

Born Free USA, a national animal advocacy nonprofit organization, said in a news release that Monday's snake bite that sent a Fair Lawn man to the hospital in critical condition is "one of thousands of unnecessary occurrences between wild and exotic animals and humans."

Captive wild animals kept as private pets, as well as in zoos and circuses, are involved in incidents that result in human injury or death every year, Born Free USA said. Reptiles in private possession "pose severe safety risks to humans, including the transmission of deadly diseases, strangulations, and bites," the group said. Snakes are the most common pet reptiles, according to the organization.

Born Free CEO Will Travers said in a statement that, “By their very nature, exotic animals are dangerous creatures. This New Jersey man kept three snakes as ‘pets,’ not only putting his own life at risk, but that of his family and community. Given the life these animals are forced to endure as pets, it is no surprise that they exhibit their natural instincts to the detriment of their owner and the public at large. These animals are time bombs waiting to explode.”

Born Free USA tracks such incidents through an online database at bornfreeusa.org/reports. The database lists more than 1,450 attacks and incidents reported that have occurred since 1990, searchable by state, species, and key word, and includes a map graphic marking each location.

Travers said that “Wild animals in captivity are ticking time bombs when it comes to public safety. They should not be confined. They deserve better than that.”

Born Free USA asks the public to report any incidents that may not already be in the database by emailing details to info@bornfreeusa.org.

http://fairlawn.patch.com/articles/national-animal-advocacy-group-responds-to-fair-lawn-snake-bite

Think Twice Before Purchasing Exotic Pets

Many pose health risks to unaware owners

Eric Bortz obviously loves animals. He studied animal science and conservation in college, worked in zoos and helped care for small animals before joining the staff at the Park Ridge Animal Hospital last year.

But he may have taken his love and fascination for exotic pets too far.

The 25-year-old Fair Lawn man was bitten Monday by a cobra he recently purchased, and remains in critical condition at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx. Fair Lawn police said Bortz bought three snakes—an albino monocled cobra, a copperhead and a timber rattlesnake—from a Pennsylvania dealer to add to his collection of exotic pets, which included a tarantula, several scorpions and two other snakes.

Bortz was told by the dealer that the cobra underwent a procedure to render it harmless. That information proved wrong.

Forget the fact that it’s illegal to own copperheads, rattlesnakes and cobras in New Jersey. The Division of Fish and Wildlife has established specific guidelines regarding the sale and possession of these and exotic animals in the state.

Don’t bother asking why on earth this guy had them at all, or what he planned to do with them in his apartment.

What bears mentioning are the health risks involved with keeping exotic animals as pets. And they don’t have to be deadly snakes to pose a potential problem.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, parents are discouraged from exposing young children to reptiles, including lizards, turtles and non-venomous snakes because of the risk of salmonella.

About 11 percent of salmonella cases in children can be traced to contact with these non-traditional pets, and even in some cases hamsters, which may also carry the disease that results in diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. The danger of contracting disease, however, is not confined to children.

Certain species of rats and mice may carry monkeypox (not chickenpox), which appeared in an outbreak in the United States in 2003. Rodents also carry the hantavirus, which causes acute respiratory distress.

The Journal of Internal Medicine reported that about 800 people have been sickened since 2000 with tularemia, a virulent disease that can be contracted from rabbits.

Prairie dogs and hedgehogs (neither are native to New Jersey but have been imported from other states) can carry plague. Monkeys (herpes B virus) and those cute little baby chicks (salmonella) also can carry disease and exotic species of birdlife and fish, while beautiful to behold, can pose a real health threat through spread of bacteria that grows in tanks or cages.

Aside from the spread of disease through fecal matter, there is always a danger of being bitten or scratched, which can quickly send germs, and in the case of Bortz, poison through the bloodstream.

Health officials in Fair Lawn and elsewhere have strict regulations about obtaining a license for pet ownership, or not granting permission to own them at all. The rules are in place for good reason.

The story of the Fair Lawn man gained immediate national attention, and maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe the next guy will think twice before taking such a chance.

http://fairlawn.patch.com/articles/think-twice-before-purchasing-exotic-pets

Think Twice Before Purchasing Pets of any kind
Many pose health risks to unaware owners

According to the CDC, over 30 people were killed by dogs last year and almost 5 million people are bitten by dogs annually and seriously enough to require medical treatment. More people are killed and injured by horses and cattle each year than all exotic animals combined. The world is a dangerous place and not for the faint of heart.
Everthing needs to be made illegal and everyone should be required to live in a bubble of filtered air and should only recieve nourishment of tablets and filtered liquids through a straw,to prevent contracting any disease and animal attacks.
Legislators, are you listening?

But wait, Ed.
Straws kill. Do not use them. They are killing our minow population who get stuck and then thier little tails are immobilized. Bigger fish can also come up to the straw and suck the little guy out. They also die of starvation. Aside from the minow killing qualities, straws can also choke people. If you run with a straw in your mouth or you are just an intense drinker, you can severly injure the roof of your mouth and throat even causing death. Ban straws, the revolution begins now.

www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2218498360

Just more "Chicken Little Syndrome", that's all. That's why we have so many obese children --- free Govm'nt Cheese courtesy of the Nanny State. Stop saving us from ourselves. Not all were supposed to survive. Stop bankrupting us.
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

Don't forget that vegetables can also carry salmonella. Children should not eat vegetables.
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www.hcu-tx.org/

We are already headed that way! I am hoping "1984" won't happen in MY lifetime, but I don't have a lot of hope for today's youngsters. I feel sorry for them. But I guess they won't miss the freedoms they never knew existed. And I am sure that is exactly the plan, too.

More people are killed by horses than by snakes. If salmonella only hits 11% of the kids, then what's the main issue? Undercooked chicken and raw eggs are a bigger issue that reptiles.

Cobra bite victim recovering as probe of snake purchase continues

A Fair Lawn man bitten by a cobra he bought as a pet is recovering rapidly, a hospital spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
The monocled cobra that bit Fair Lair resident Eric Bortz is seen In this image taken from a video posted on YouTube.com
FILE PHOTO
The monocled cobra that bit Fair Lair resident Eric Bortz is seen In this image taken from a video posted on YouTube.com

"He has made a big step forward," said Hannah Nelson, a spokeswoman at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, where Eric Bortz, 25, was rushed Monday. Jacobi is the only snakebite treatment center in the region.

Bortz's official status at the hospital fluctuated several times between critical and serious condition, which is considered an upgrade. He was in serious condition on Wednesday afternoon.

Law enforcement officials, meanwhile, were continuing their investigation into the Pennsylvania sale and transfer of the albino monocled cobra and two other poisonous snakes to New Jersey, where they are strictly regulated.

Bortz, an employee of Park Ridge Animal Hospital, studied animal science and conservation at a Pennsylvania college and had a collection of exotic pets, including scorpions and other snakes, according to his biography on the animal hospital's website.

He bought the reptiles last weekend from a dealer who assured him they were harmless because their venom sacs had been removed, police said.

Recreational ownership of a cobra in New Jersey is prohibited, but Pennsylvania regulates ownership on a local level, meaning that penalties regarding the sale would depend on the town and county where it occurred.

A Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission spokesman said on Wednesday afternoon that he was told the location of the sale had not been determined.

Law enforcement officials did not release any additional information about the investigation on Wednesday.

The cobra, a copperhead and a timber rattlesnake, were in Bortz's River Road apartment for a matter of days when the cobra struck him Monday night, police said.

Bortz and his wife did not immediately report the bite because he called the seller to confirm that the venom sacs had been removed, police said. His wife called an ambulance about three hours later when he started having seizures. An animal control officer said Bortz was gray and barely breathing when police arrived.

Dr. Joseph Feldman, chairman of Emergency Services at Hackensack University Medical Center, said the rate of recovery from such an injury would depend on several factors, including the amount and type of venom that entered Bortz's system, how quickly he was treated with antivenin and his overall health.

Feldman said Bortz's reported reaction to the bite indicated that the snake was producing poison in spite of the seller's alleged claims, and that there is no way that bits of the venom glands could have been left behind after a botched operation.

"That would be like being a little bit pregnant," Feldman said.

Pennsylvania state laws regarding exotic animals are among the most lax, according to Born Free USA, an animal welfare group that tracks exotic animal attacks and advocates against keeping wild animals as pets. The state requires permits for owners of certain animals, but does not regulate reptiles or non-human primates.

Even states with stricter regulations, such as New Jersey, have trouble enforcing them when animals are kept in houses and can be ordered on the Internet and transferred across state lines, said Monica Engebretson, a senior program associate at Born Free USA.

"No matter how long an animal is in captivity or around people, they're still a wild animal," Engebretson said. "In captivity, their instincts are frustrated. They're like ticking time bombs. They will harm people."

http://www.northjersey.com/news/state/115166579_Cobra_bite_victim_recovering.html

(NOTE - "Even states with stricter regulations, such as New Jersey, have trouble enforcing them when animals are kept in houses and can be ordered on the Internet and transferred across state line" - Just in time for the new PA venomous/alligator ban)