CHINA POST () 06 June 03 Pet owner bit by king cobra in coma at hospital
Taipei, Taiwan: A Hong Kong emigrant, bit by her pet king cobra, is still in a coma at the Taipei Veterans General Hospital, doctors said yesterday.
The woman, identified only by her family name of Wang, was attacked by the cobra shortly before midnight Wednesday when she was feeding it.
Wang was taken to a hospital near her Yungho apartment, where she keeps seven dogs and tree frogs as pets in addition to the poisonous snake.
"She at one time lost all signs of life," said a doctor at the Taipei Veterans General Hospital, where she was transferred from Yungho, opposite Taipei across the Hsintien creek.
The doctor said Wang was given antivenin at his hospital, where she was put on a critical list. "Vital signs returned," he added, "but she remains unconscious."
Her common law husband, who lived with her in the Yungho apartment, sent for firemen after he had found her sprawled beside the snake cage.
The firemen bagged the cobra and brought it to the hospital.
"I didn't know it was a king cobra," said one of the firemen. "But all of us were scared."
If bitten by a king cobra, the victim will have little chance of survival, unless treatment is immediately available.
The snake's neurotoxin paralyzes the bitten person, killing him in between 15 and 30 minutes.
Taipei County officials are trying to find out how Wang had acquired the cobra, which is an endangered species.
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/detail.asp?onNews=1&GRP=D&id=19295
TAIWAN NEWS () 06 June 03 Woman in critical condition after bite from king cobra pet
A woman from Hong Kong living in Taipei who was bitten by a king cobra she kept at home as a pet was in a critical condition yesterday despite receiving emergency treatment at the Veterans General Hospital in suburban Taipei.
The woman surnamed Wang was rushed to the Far Eastern Memorial Hospital in Panchiao city after her boy friend surnamed Pai found her in a coma when he arrived home late Wednesday night.
Pai told firefighters who were called to the scene and came to Wang's rescue that he suspected that she might have been bitten by a king cobra when trying to feed it at their residence in Chungho city.
Pai said Wang's snake looked sick and had not been fed for the past five days, but added that he and his girl friend did not realize that their pet was so poisonous.
The king cobra, also called royal cobra, is considered one of the most poisonous snakes in the word. Listed as an endangered species, the king cobra can be found in Hong Kong, China, India, Indonesia, and other Southeast Asian countries. Anyone who has been bitten by a king cobra is likely to die in 15-30 minutes without emergency medical help.
On entering the couple's residence, firefighters discovered that Wang had a hobby of collecting exotic animals as her pets including tree frogs.
Wang had stopped breathing a couple of times before arriving at the Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, but regained consciousness after firefighters administered CPR.
After having received emergency treatment at the Far Eastern Hospital, Wang was later transferred to the Veterans General Hospital in suburban Taipei to continue treatment. Last night she was described as being in a stable but critical condition.
A firefighter who took part in the rescue mission said that the most difficult part of their work was catching and transporting the cobra from one hospital to another in order for doctors to identify and to decide what kind of antidote to use on Wang.
An official of the Taipei County Bureau of Agriculture said they would launch an investigation into where the couple had acquired king cobras as pets, as the king cobra is an endangered species protected by governments around the world.
http://www.etaiwannews.com/Taiwan/2003/06/06/1054861701.htm
