Rattlesnakes on Arizona family’s porch were mating and did not want to be disturbed

One rattlesnake on the porch is bad, but an Arizona family recently found two and it quickly became clear the venomous reptiles were mating.

That meant they intended to stay for awhile — and did not want to be disturbed.

It happened at a home in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the family resorted to calling a professional rattlesnake catching service, Rattlesnake Solutions.

To read more on this story, click here: Rattlesnakes on Arizona family’s porch were mating and did not want to be disturbed

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Huge Snake Sends Tourists Running When It Bolts From SUV At Yellowstone National Park

 

A very big snake caused a ruckus at Yellowstone National Park on Thursday when it popped out of an SUV engine in front of a crowd of stunned tourists.

The incident happened outside one of the park’s welcome centers, and video of the scene includes gasps as the snake began unwinding itself across the entire width of a Toyota Highlander.

It appeared to be well over 6 feet in length, onlookers reported, and was brazen enough to take a striking pose before dashing from one side of the SUV to the other.

A Yellowstone park ranger armed with snake tongs quickly knocked it to the ground. However, the snake ignited screams when it then headed straight at onlookers who were unknowingly blocking its path to a thicket of growth.

To read more on this story, click here: Huge Snake Sends Tourists Running When It Bolts From SUV At Yellowstone National Park

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A family Going for a Swim Grabs a Pool Noodle - Rattlesnakes Were Living Inside, Fire Dept. Says

A family planning on spending a leisurely hot day in their swimming pool encountered a surprise before ever hitting the water.

When the family in Buckeye, Ariz., grabbed their pool noodles, an adult rattlesnake popped out of one of the recreational floatation devices, according to City of Buckeye Fire Department.

"The snake did not attack, but was concerned about the pool noodles," the fire department posted on its Facebook page, "as there were a couple of young rattlesnakes who were still inside."

To read more on this story, click here: A family Going for a Swim Grabs a Pool Noodle - Rattlesnakes Were Living Inside, Fire Dept. Says 



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An Arizona Man was Hospitalized After Surviving a Rattlesnake Bite to the Face While Attempting to Cook it on a Barbecue Grill

Phoenix, Arizona  - A man was hospitalized after surviving a rattlesnake bite to the face while trying to show off to friends at a party by attempting to cook the reptile on a barbecue grill.

Victor Pratt, 48, was bitten Sept. 7. He was first treated at a hospital near his Coolidge, Ariz., home and then transferred to Banner-University Medical Center in Phoenix. Coolidge is nearly 60 miles southeast of Phoenix.

While celebrating his child's birthday with friends, Pratt said he decided to show them how to catch and cook a rattlesnake after one of the reptiles showed up in his yard during the party.

Pratt, who was interviewed Friday, grabbed the venomous snake and was showing it off to friends and family, posing for several photos. But he lost his grip on the snake's head, and it attacked him.

After being bit twice, once on the chest and once on the face, Pratt said he knew immediately that something was wrong, having been bitten once before when he was 19.

"I said, 'We gotta go now,' because I knew what was going to happen," Pratt said.

He was taken immediately to a local hospital, which doctors said saved his life. He also has received doses of antivenom.

"If an airway is not established in the first few minutes, in our experience less than 15 to 30 minutes, then those patients really don't have a chance to survive,'' said Dr. Steven Curry, Banner hospital's toxicology director.

Curry said getting a tube inserted into the patient's airway is vital, especially in face bites.

"If they can get their airway established, they're very lucky," Curry said. "That is, you're lucky to have been bitten and been able to make it to the hospital in just a few minutes in order to have those emergency procedures done that are needed to save your life."

Pratt was sedated as the procedure was being done, and remained that way for five days, including when he was transferred to the Phoenix hospital.

"I lost five days of memory," Pratt said. "I didn't know where I was for five days."

This kind of memory loss is common, Curry said, because the drugs needed to keep a patient under prevent memories from forming. For their own safety, patients with face bites are kept heavily sedated, and have their hands wrapped in large, bulky bandages to prevent them from pulling out the endotracheal tube.

"(If) that endotracheal tube would come out, because of severe neck swelling, it would be difficult or impossible to immediately put it back in or immediately perform ... an emergency tracheotomy," Curry said. "Because if that tube were to come out, then we would expect that they would be in very big trouble immediately, and perhaps might even die in four to five minutes."

Curry said rattlesnake bites are divided into two categories: bites where the victim didn't know there was a snake or tried to get away, or those where the person recognized there was a snake present but did not immediately try to get away.

Most bites, he said, are the latter kind.

Rattlesnake venom is toxic and can cause swelling, paralysis and numbness at the site of the bite, damaging the tissue. It can cause a person's airwaves to swell to the point of blocking air, and cause internal bleeding.

Curry said seeking medical care quickly is critical, noting that home treatments are a mistake.

"First-aid measures such as tourniquets, ice, incisions or taking the time to apply suctions ... are dangerous and harmful," he said. "Or completely ineffective, as in the case of suction."

The common denominator across all snake-bite deaths in Arizona, he said, was the victim not receiving medical attention immediately.

Often, this is because the victim is out hiking, or in an area far from civilization, Curry said. But in other cases, it's because they thought they could treat themselves.

Banner Hospital treats, on average, 70 snake-bite victims a year, Curry said. While face bites such as Pratt's make up less than 1% of them, they are often the most serious.

Pratt, however, said he was done dealing with the venomous reptiles.

"Ain't gonna play with snakes no more," he said.



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Video Captured a Massive King Cobra Appearing to Drink Out of a Man’s Water Bottle

Video captured a massive king cobra appearing to drink out of a man’s water bottle amid extreme droughts across southern India.

The extremely venomous reptile ― described by Caters News as 12-feet long ― is seen turning to the higher ups, who cautiously pour the water while holding its tail and a hook near its head, presumably in case it turns on them. The people in the video are wildlife rescue workers, according to Caters.

The video was reportedly shot from a village in Kaiga township. A similar video uploaded to YouTube in 2014 shows a man sharing a drink with another cobra but in an unknown location. (Talk about friends in low places.)

According to Smithsonian’s National Zoo, king cobras can grow up to 18 feet in length. Though they’re considered to be aggressive snakes, they’re said to attack people only when cornered or trying to protect their eggs.

“Throughout its entire range from India to Indonesia, the king cobra causes fewer than five human deaths a year, about one-fifth as many as caused by rattlers in North America,” the zoo’s website states.

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Four Young Men from Glen Burnie, Maryland Have Been Fined $200 Each for Killing and Grilling a Timber Rattlesnake

Four young men from Glen Burnie have been fined $200 each for killing and grilling a timber rattlesnake in western Maryland.

Online court records show the teenagers pleaded guilty Tuesday in district court in Cumberland to possessing or destroying the snake, a state-protected species.

Each was fined $500 with $300 suspended. All received probation before judgment, meaning their convictions can be expunged after probationary periods ranging from 14 to 28 months.

Maryland Natural Resources Police say the men were camping in the Green Ridge State Forest in August when they killed the snake with a BB gun and grilled it.

The defendants are 18-year-old Austin Golas and Travis Luedtke; and 19-year-old Paul Lafon and Erick Reffitt.

A fifth defendant, 19-year-old Jared Holt, is scheduled for trial Dec. 8.

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4-Year-Old Boy Bitten by a Rattlesnake: Pregnant Mom Sucks Venom from His Foot

A very pregnant Northern California mom is getting attention for her quick instincts after her 4-year-old son was bitten by a rattlesnake. But state wildlife officials say what she did was dangerous.

Jaclyn Caramazza and her family were walking on a bike trail in Folsom over the weekend when her son Vinny stepped on a baby rattlesnake, KTXL-TV reported. The snake quickly coiled up.

Minutes later, Vinny’s foot turned purple and began to swell. Caramazza removed her son’s shoes and found two puncture marks.

Nine months pregnant, this mother sprang into action.

“Mama Bear instinct in me decided to suck the venom because that’s what Bonanza does,” she told KTXL.

Vinny was taken to an area hospital and is doing well.

But trying to suck out venom with your mouth is a bad idea, state wildlife officials say.

"That's an absolute 'do not do,'" said Warden Chris Stoots of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, because of the risk for the person sucking out the poison of becoming ill.

There are venom-suction devices that help remove the poison, Stoots said, but few people carry them when hiking.

According to Fish and Wildlife, if possible, a rattlesnake bite should be washed gently with soap and water. Rinsing with water alone also will do.

The bite victim should be kept calm and rushed to the hospital and the wound site should be kept below heart level.

Most snake bites occur when people accidently step on or try to touch a snake, Stoots said.

Attempt to move or kill a snake, Stoots said, and in most cases "you'll lose."

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How to Choose Your First Pet Snake

Choosing your first pet snake can be a nerve wracking process. Getting your pet and the equipment right the first time is the easiest way to ensure a long and happy relationship with your new slithering friend!

To read more on this story, click here: How to Choose Your First Pet Snake

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