Kanga Tips Kanga Tips

Snake bites
Most bites not venomous and antidotes available

Australia is home to nine of the top ten deadliest snake species on the planet. In fact of the top 25 species, 21 of them are native down under. Top of the list is the Inland Taipan 'Fierce Snake'. The maximum yield of venom recorded from one bite of the Inland Taipan is 110mg. That would probably be enough to kill over 100 people and 250,000 mice. Luckily the Fierce Snake is found only in relatively uninhabited areas of south-western Queensland, so unless you study close by, you will most likely not run into one. Great news: most bites are not venomous and atidotes are available.

 
Following a close second is the more common Australian Brown Snake. One 14/000 of an ounce of the Brown Snake's venom would be enough to kill a human. The snake is believed to have been involved in 22 of the past 38 deaths attributed to snakebite. Fortunately all those potential killers are shy animals. They would rather slither away than risk an encounter with students.
No use of venom
Also, snakes have a intriguing method of 'measuring' the amount of venom in their bite. Australia's snakes rarely use venom when biting defensively. Maybe you did not know this but: All venomous snakes are capable of biting without injecting venom into their victim. More surprising: Most snakes will often deliver a “dry bite” if they are just trying to scare you away, rather than waste their venom. Venomous bites occur in less than 1 in 10 bites.
Snakebites are believed to have resulted in 38 deaths in the past 24 years in Australia, and of those 38, three were trained herpetologists bitten while handling snakes, five occurred as a result of people trying to kill the snake, four were cases of people handling a venomous snake believing it to be harmless, and twenty were bitten after accidentally treading on the snake.
 
Tips
A few simple tips: Firstly, wear substantial socks and boots when bushwalking. Sandals might be cooler in the tropical humidity, but they don't provide any protection. Don't lift up large rocks, because you-know-what may be already be hiding from you under there. And finally, IF a snake is within striking distance and you are lucky enough to notice it - don't panic. Stay still, and wait for it to back down. But if -after taking all the precautions- you are still unfortunate enough to come into contact with a snake, the first-aid treatment is simple: bandage firmly, splint and immobilise. Then, follow these steps:
  1. Apply broad pressure bandage over the bite and as much of the limb as possible. After covering the bite, continue up the limb and, if you have sufficient bandage, back down again.
  2. Immobilise with a splint. On leg- splint in straight position. On forearm, splint to the elbow and support the arm in a sling.
  3. Keep the victim still. Bring transport to the victim and take them to the nearest hospital. The emergency phone number in Australia is 000.
  4. DO NOT cut or excise the area or apply an arterial torniquet! Both these measures are now considered to be ineffective and may make the situation worse. DO NOT wash the area of the bite! Medical staff may be able to take a swab of the trace venom to identify the snake species, which will allow them to treat you more effectively.

 

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