“This Gentleman Really Suffered”: SA Man Bitten by Venomous Snake in Durban, Expert Shares Pictures

• A man from Durban accidentally picked up a venomous snake and got bitten by it on one of his fingers
• The gent suffered great pain after he was turned down by a hospital after seeing his bad injury 
• A snake catcher explained the story and gave detailed warnings about poisonous slithering reptiles 

One South African man had no idea the great pain he would feel after picking up a random snake.

The coldblooded creature aimed for the chap’s index finger and left its venom in the deeper layer of his flesh.

SA man bitten by venomous snake in Durban, expert explains 

A snake catcher, Nick Evans shared the story of how a man from Durban encountered a venomous snake. The gent picked up what he thought was a harmless reptile only to have one of his fingers bitten.

Evans highlighted that the chap encountered a Stiletto snake:

“Stiletto Snakes are small snakes, adults usually being around 30cm in length. They are not intimidating, and many assume they're harmless. However, they are very quick to bite, and they possess a cytotoxic venom.”

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In the man’s case, the bite was not a fatal one but his finger started to swell up, causing debilitating pain and bad tissue damage. Evans went on to explain:

“This gentleman really suffered, and worried he'd lose his finger. There is no safe way to handle the Stiletto Snake. You know how snake-removers, including myself, hold the likes of mambas etc by their heads/necks?

"Do that with a Stiletto Snake, and it will bite. Take note of one of the pics below. The fangs protrude out the side of the mouth (not through the skin). When this happens, you're in for a rough ride.”

The snake catcher advised people to stay far away from the creature as it could easily fork you with its fangs. Empathetic people were also warned not to take chances and pick up the coldblooded creature:

“If you pick up a snake because you like them, or you want to help them, depending on the species, it very likely will bite you. It doesn't know if you are a human that likes snakes or not- it will be terrified no matter who you are.”

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The venom-infected chap had visited was turned down by two hospitals before he consulted a snakebite expert Arno Naude, and later, Dr. Timothy Hardcastle who referred him to a general practitioner.

The guy had an incision made to drain the swollen area where a lot of fluid came out. The wound is currently treated with a high chance of him keeping his finger.

The snake catcher warned South Africans:

“Please do not pick up snakes. Even if you think you know what it is. Please rather send a pic for ID/removal to a professional snake remover. In the event of a snakebite, try to get to your nearest hospital (do not drive yourself).

"It is wise for you, or someone, to phone the hospital ahead, to give them a heads up. They may refer you to another hospital. Stiletto Snakes are not evil creatures to be killed. They just want to be left alone, to hunt small snakes (which seems to be mostly what they eat).”

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See the Facebook post below:

Mzansi reacts to man’s snakebite in viral Facebook post

Social media users shared their thoughts in a thread of 179 comments:

@Mark Crozier shared:

“When it comes to snakes, people are generally bleep, bleep, bleep! That's my response, interpret it as you will.”

@Jessie West said:

“Be careful of this. My sister was bitten by a stiletto snake and had to have 10 operations. They found poison up her arm. She was 7 years old.”

@Jutta Moxham Burkhardt commented:

“I was bitten by a brown recluse (voline spider) and my face looked like his finger same toxin.”

@Leone Fourie explained:

“I am a snake lover and friend, I also work as an admin for an Ambulance Company and once on a ride along we took a snake bite Pt to a State Hospital, and asked questions as Nick Evans- Snake Rescuer says the State Hospital are better equipped to handle snake bites and have antivenom on hand, this comes from the perception that most snake bites happen in the rural areas.”

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3 More snake stories by Briefly News

• A South African woman amazed Mzansi when she shared her story of sleeping with a black mamba to maintain wealth
• Guests were startled by a giant invasive rock python while on vacation at a lodge in KwaZulu-Natal
• A family was boggled after finding numerous gigantic snakes living in their roof and stretching in their backyard

Source: Briefly News