Snakes alive

[j.sabourn]

Snake bite in Australia.
That bite of summer has well and truly come early this year, and with the heat comes snakes.
Some moot points.
3000 bites are reported annually.
300-500 hospitalisations
Average time to death is 12 hours.
There are 5 genus of Australian snakes that harm seriously- Browns, Blacks, Adders, Tigers, Taipans all snake venom is made of huge proteins, when bitten a snake injects some venom into the meat of your limb and not into your blood.
This venom cannot be absorbed into the blood stream from the bite site.
It travels in the lymphatic system- not in the blood stream.
The lymph system moves around with muscle movement.
You must stay still.
Do not suck or incise the venom.
Do not remove clothing just bandage on top of.
Do not try to kill or identify the snake this is not necessary. Hospitals no need to know anymore.
The treatment is the same for all snake bites have one injection for all Australian snakes.
Australian snakes cause internal bleeding , bruising, muscles paralysed, and pain.
Don’t forget to stay still.

From myself enjoy your holiday , if you decide to go swimming will find someone to give you tips on the crocs and the sharks. — Australia welcomes all travellers with money to spend.
JS

[Captain Kong]

We were driving through Meekathara in the north of Western Australia,
I stopped my van , Anne got out and stood on a Green Snake and squashed its head, she was very Lucky,
The snake died, I have a photo of it somewhere
Brian

and also the jumping crocodiles we were with in the Adelaide River , down the Arnhem Highway from Darwin, NT. they can jump very high out of the water and really are killers.,
We will see them again in March.

[Rodney Mills]

I admit it. I'm deathly afraid of snakes, but worms are okay. I spent six months each year for almost thirteen years in Australia. I went around the continent, down, the continent and over to 'Tassie'. Most of the time though was spent in, next to the States, my favorite spot: Far North Queensland.

My dislike of the wrigglies is a phobia. I can't even watch them if the show up in a move. I close my eyes and my wife, bless her, gives me a squeeze when they are gone. My friends in Oz knew this and sort of shielded me.

We would stop by our friends fruit farm near Bunderburg, Qld. and park our camper on his lawn and plug in to his electricity and stay for a month to six weeks and help them harvest advocados or lychees, or pruning the trees and bushes. Myself and Les would pick, my wife and Joan would pack. We would all end up in the packing shed to pack the last buckets of fruit together and load up the truck for shipping to market.

For something like ten years, behind my back, was a load of giggling. I found out why as we pulled out of our last trip. There was a bloody great python asleep on a rafter above the grading machine. Apparently his name was Percy. Les and Joan loved him as he kept the rats away (or ate them).

We were going towards our camper, when Les started hollering. He had seen a brown snake slither under our camper. He's down on the ground with his .22 rifle loaded with a scat-shot, pellets, instead of a bullet-head, especially for snakes. He had a good look at it before slithered quickly into bushes and away. It was an Eastern Brown, the deadliest in Australia.

Next trip I walked behind the farmhouse to a box kept for breeding worms for fishing bait. Got a pot full and looked at a Red-belled black snake sunning itself on the lawn and I had walked within striking distance of it. I ran the other way around the house to get the gun, so shook-up I forgot a was terrified of them. The snake was gone.

The foot of the pipe that lay on the bottom of the dam from which all non-drinking water came from was jammed, Les figured it was weed and he would have to have service call come out and a few hundred dollars charge. I asked him if it could be man-handled up to the surface and moved ashore to clean, he said it could. So I had my diving gear, but no air, wetsuit, hood, mask, snorkel, weights on and in and down I went ( it was Aussie winter and the water was cold). No problem, job accomplished, towel off, gear stowed, and a glass of Bunderburg rum to warm-up with, and a check of the system. No worries, worked like a charm. As we looked at the pipe back in the dam, a school of snakes, five or six of them swam around the pipe I'd dived for and pulled-up and put back.

Our home away from home was Bowen, Queensland, and Horseshoe Bay, heaven on earth. Great scuba diving right from the beach, no boat needed, just the price of an air-fill, about A$3. then. Magic!

From Horseshoe Bay was a track over some rather steep hills that led to another bay. It was about a five mile hike there and back and a two miles each way back to our apartment, so that would be my morning exercise.

Another mate of mine owned the local dive shop and we would walk together most mornings. One morning in December, we were walking, he would go first, and he said. "Watch were you're stepping, I'm seeing a few wrigglies."

Ughh! I didn't like that. We came down the hill at the other Bay, where we had about a three hundred yard walk along a path through the bush before we turned back. It was crawling alive with snakes. It was the first warm day after winter and the mongrels were out in force sunning themselves. I couldn't close my eyes, having to watch ahead, then eyes down, check the bushes, sides of the narrow path, a nightmare come true. Caution being the better part of valor, we took the long way home via the road.

Lastly, sea-snakes are more venomous than land snakes, fortunately they are rather shy plus their fangs point inwards towards the throat, so unless you are rather unlucky you have to stick your finger down it's mouth, or try and remove a hook or something. I did read a few weeks back that an Ozzie swimming got bit and died, but no info further on how it happened. They are apparently curious, and there are many tales of them coming up to diver, catching their reflection in the diving mask and looking in at you as though totally fascinated.

My wife and I had a deal. If one came along we'd get out of its way just as fast as we could. If it looked in my mask, I'd close my eyes, she would take my hand and get me the hell-out-of-Dodge. Thank goodness that was never an issue.


Snakes, crocs, roos, parrots all are protected in Oz. A DNR officer did tell me though that we could kill as many flies as we liked. That is the number one pest in Australia. American flies are annoying, but friendly and not as aggressive, or as plentiful as Ozzie flies. They go straight for your eyes, nose, ears, and you better not walk around in the nude as who knows were they would go.


Cheers, Rodney

[Doc Vernon]

While i am not afraid of Snakes i am very wary of all types here in Aussie,as i was brought up on a Farm in South Africa we had many various Venemous Snakes there as well,and my late Father showed us how to deal with these Creatures,both on how to avoid them,Capture, treat a bite ,or Kill whatever the situation was.
Most all times Snakes will not attack you and go slithering away,but there are those that will strike if you are close enough,or it thinks that it is being threatened,this applies to most all Snakes,
If you spot one just steer clear and all will be fine,do not go and try and have a look at what it is,leave them be.
Here in Blackheath NSW we have had occasion to see a few Snakes around ,but as said no harm has come to anyone yet. Mmmm!
So rule of the road,you live your life and stay away from Slitherers LOL and they will stay away from you.
There are of course situations that one must take action,so just be aware and alert!
Cheers
Happy Snaking!

[Keith Tindell]

Rodney, sea snakes swimming up to look in your mask !!!, you close your eyes !!!, would be no problem for me, i would be in a dead faint. I also am very wary of snakes, as you know, we only have one poisonous snake, that's the adder, apparently causes the death of a few dogs, but very rare for humans, kt

[Ron B Manderson]

I know the feeling
I hate snakes, can't even look at a picture,.
Remember we were docked in Port Houston and by the ship was a small patch of Grass.
Some bright ass suggested we have a kick about on it. Me I was in the goal.
During our play some one noticed a small sign about 10 yrds away facing the other was .
Ron See what that sign says YIP " beware of snakes sunbathing in this long grass.
Exit stage left like the Cartoons High quick steps
Ron the batcave

[robpage]

The snake population in the United Kingdom I think you will find it on the decline especially with the grass snake I was quite surprised in driving through the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia how many snakes were basking in The Sun or the roadside when I clear it it one of the local said they're really good they are you occasionally get them picked up and put in your backyard they were what they called rat snakes and they kept down all the other pests personally I'd rather use poison because they were quite a big old snake there are Greeny black colour

[Ron B Manderson]

On The Markor we had a cadet engineer whos father had a big Ranch in east Africa.
I got offered a great job looking after the electrics.
Own house , transport, servants, large boat on lake .
Oh perfect job for old me .
Unti one booze night , he just happened to mention that before he goes to bed at night he lifts the pillow and just chucks the snake from there out the open window.
Thought!!! Nea better stay at sea.
Ron the batcave

[Ron B Manderson]

Another snake story.
While in a taxi from Trinco Bunker station to Naval club the drive shout " good look a king Cobra on road sir I will run over and kill it .
I got it sir he shouts. then tells us that the front can coil itself on the back axel;

When taxi stopped I must have jumped about 20 ft in one jump away from taxi seat.
Not that I'm a coward LOL
Where to hell was ST Patrick when you need him
Ron the batcave

[j.sabourn]

#3.. sometimes what you think are worms can be baby snakes Rodney, I almost made that mistake once. What this post tries to emphasise is that your John Wayne movies about cutting the the skin and sucking out the poison is a lot of tish. Once again Hollywood wins the biscuit for misinformation slightly ahead of the press, who continue to carry the banner and try to get ahead in the misiinformation race. Cheers JS