As a snake catcher waited in “excruciating pain” for paramedics to arrive after being bitten by a highly venomous red-bellied black snake, she kicked herself for the one mistake she made. And as many in the industry tell Yahoo News that there are more and more snake interactions occurring in towns and cities across the country, Aussies can learn from the experienced snake catcher’s error.
Hayley-Anne Hill had successfully rescued the snake from a school in Kuranda, Queensland, and confessed her “mind wasn’t on the job” when she was relocating it hours later. She placed her hand in the wrong place and that’s all it took.
“I just felt this nip on my finger and I thought, ‘bloody hell, I’ve been bitten’. I looked down and saw the blood,” she said.
Alone, she was forced to remain calm and administer first-aid on herself at the side of the road. For two long hours, she waited there for paramedics, feeling the searing hot venom pulse through her arm.
“The pain started within what, the first 10 seconds. My hand swelled up like a balloon. I didn’t feel like I was going to vomit but the pain felt like somebody had grabbed a great big iron pole and it was hot, really hot, and it was being smashed into my arm,” she said.
The one mistake Aussies are being urged not to make
Hayley-Anne confessed she simply put her hand in the wrong place and was “very complacent”.
“I had my hand under where he was, and that’s all it took… I don’t want to put a fear into people because it was my own stupidity,” she explained. The fear of unfairly demonising the reptiles was why she decided to not share her experience, which happened a few years ago, until now. The rise in snake interactions encouraged her to speak up.
“I get looked upon as outrageous and eccentric, I’ve got a load of tattoos. I don’t get heard a lot because of that and that’s why I want to be a voice for snakes because they get exactly what I get,” she said.
Hayley-Anne has lost her sense of smell and has permanent nerve damage in her fingers. Source: Facebook/Miss Hiss Reptiles
Snake catchers reporting ‘a lot more’ snake encounters
Cory Kerewaro, a snake catcher based in Sydney’s MacArthur area, told Yahoo News there have “definitely been a lot more people that are interacting with snakes” and education about how to behave around them is vital to ensuring the safety for both the person and snake.
“I think social media has a lot to do with it. There’s more people like myself trying to raise awareness and educate, but I think people see us catchers handle snakes and think it looks easy, but they don’t see the 20 years of experience we have,” he explained.
With an increase in snake sightings and interactions, there has ultimately been an increase in snake bites. Cory has been called to a handful of separate incidents this snake season where the resident has been bitten. Even when they’re doing the right thing, bites can happen.
He spoke of a woman who “felt something tap on the side of her leg” in Picton in New South Wales. As she looked down, she realised it was a brown snake and she had been bitten. Another man was doing yard work when a red-bellied black snake “lunged at his hand” as he reached for a piece of wood.
Snake catchers are reporting more snake interactions in Australia. Source: Australia Zoo & Cory Kerewaro
Thankfully, both incidents resulted in a full recovery as neither were envenomated after being bitten. However, it does show how easily bites can happen.
Cory attended a job recently where a highly venomous brown snake was picked up and placed in a container for easy collection. “They really shouldn’t be doing this,” he said.
Snake catcher swears by $25 safety hack
Three years on from her snake bite, Hayley-Anne still lives with the nerve damage in her finger and “can’t smell” — a common side effect experienced after being bitten by a red-bellied black snake.
She believes every Aussie household should get a $25 smart pressure bandage which works wonders if someone is bitten by a snake.
“I suggest everyone in Australia should keep smart pressure bandages. They cost you $25 and you can use them on yourself and your animals if they’re bitten. They’re brilliant,” she said.
“If you apply first aid to any snake bite, you’re going to be OK as long as you apply that first aid quickly and get to hospital as quickly as possible.”
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