Killed by a snake?
May 12th 2006, 8:49 am
#1
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Killed by a snake?
Does anyone know the last time a healthy adult was killed by a snake in Australia? Don't need a date, just a year.
May 12th 2006, 10:34 am
#2
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Re: Killed by a snake?
Originally Posted by ScottDavis
Does anyone know the last time a healthy adult was killed by a snake in Australia? Don't need a date, just a year.
Haven't a clue how true it is tho ...
May 12th 2006, 10:52 am
#3
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Re: Killed by a snake?
Originally Posted by ScottDavis
Does anyone know the last time a healthy adult was killed by a snake in Australia? Don't need a date, just a year.
S
May 12th 2006, 10:58 am
#4
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Re: Killed by a snake?
Try Google.
In Australia there are about 3,000 snake bites per year, of which 200 to 500 receive antivenom; on average one or two will prove fatal. About half the deaths are due to bites from the brown snake; the rest mostly from tiger snake, taipan and death adder. Some deaths are sudden, however in fact it is uncommon to die within four hours of a snake bite.
Struan Sutherland's 'Death from snake bite in Australia, 1981-1991' (The Medical Journal of Australia, December 1991, Volume 7, pages 740-46) contains some graphic descriptions of the 18 known fatal snake bites in that ten year period.
source
Cheers,
DagBoy
Of course, to be one of these statistics, it helps if you are somewhere that you occasionally see snakes. In five years living in and around Brisbane (mostly on acreage) I have seen about 6 snakes.
In Australia there are about 3,000 snake bites per year, of which 200 to 500 receive antivenom; on average one or two will prove fatal. About half the deaths are due to bites from the brown snake; the rest mostly from tiger snake, taipan and death adder. Some deaths are sudden, however in fact it is uncommon to die within four hours of a snake bite.
Struan Sutherland's 'Death from snake bite in Australia, 1981-1991' (The Medical Journal of Australia, December 1991, Volume 7, pages 740-46) contains some graphic descriptions of the 18 known fatal snake bites in that ten year period.
source
Cheers,
DagBoy
Of course, to be one of these statistics, it helps if you are somewhere that you occasionally see snakes. In five years living in and around Brisbane (mostly on acreage) I have seen about 6 snakes.
Last edited by DagBoy; May 12th 2006 at 11:24 am. Reason: because I cannot type for sh*t
May 12th 2006, 12:46 pm
#5
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Re: Killed by a snake?
Originally Posted by ScottDavis
Does anyone know the last time a healthy adult was killed by a snake in Australia? Don't need a date, just a year.
He should be nominated for a Darwin Award
May 12th 2006, 1:05 pm
#6
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Re: Killed by a snake?
Originally Posted by Swerv-o
ABC Diamond posted some interesting facts on this a while ago. I don't recall them exactly, but the odds of dying from a snake or spider bite are very small. I think the last spider death was 1979? Maybe do a search for the thread...
S
S
Q: How many dangerous spider bites occur in Australia each year? Has anyone died from a bite recently?
A: There have been no deaths in Australia from a confirmed spider bite since 1979.
A spider bite is not a notifiable medical emergency, so there are no Australia-wide statistics, but the following figures give an idea of the incidence of reported bites in recent years.
Approximately 2,000 people are bitten each year by Redback Spiders
Funnel-web spider antivenom has been given to at least 100 patients since 1980.
Funnel web spiders (Eastern Australia), are the most dangerous of all the world's spiders. Since the use of anti-venom, no one in Australia has died of a funnel web spider bite.
Spider info at: http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/Hea...&np=305&id=2318
Annually in Victoria there are an average of 375 hospital admissions and more than 1,100 emergency department presentations as the result of venomous bites or stings. The majority of these are associated with bee and wasp sting and spider and snake bite.
The following %'s relate to Victoria, and the numbers of bites that resulted in Hospitalisation
Hornets, wasps and bees 33%
Spiders 30%
Snakes 22%
During the period 1979-1996, a total of 11 deaths was registered in which the external causes code indicates that the person died as the result of injuries sustained when bitten by a dog.
And as for: Hamsters ,don't worry as they are completely banned in Australia
S
May 12th 2006, 1:09 pm
#7
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Re: Killed by a snake?
Originally Posted by DagBoy
Try Google.
In Australia there are about 3,000 snake bites per year, of which 200 to 500 receive antivenom; on average one or two will prove fatal. About half the deaths are due to bites from the brown snake; the rest mostly from tiger snake, taipan and death adder. Some deaths are sudden, however in fact it is uncommon to die within four hours of a snake bite.
Struan Sutherland's 'Death from snake bite in Australia, 1981-1991' (The Medical Journal of Australia, December 1991, Volume 7, pages 740-46) contains some graphic descriptions of the 18 known fatal snake bites in that ten year period.
source
Cheers,
DagBoy
Of course, to be one of these statistics, it helps if you are somewhere that you occasionally see snakes. In five years living in and around Brisbane (mostly on acreage) I have seen about 6 snakes.
In Australia there are about 3,000 snake bites per year, of which 200 to 500 receive antivenom; on average one or two will prove fatal. About half the deaths are due to bites from the brown snake; the rest mostly from tiger snake, taipan and death adder. Some deaths are sudden, however in fact it is uncommon to die within four hours of a snake bite.
Struan Sutherland's 'Death from snake bite in Australia, 1981-1991' (The Medical Journal of Australia, December 1991, Volume 7, pages 740-46) contains some graphic descriptions of the 18 known fatal snake bites in that ten year period.
source
Cheers,
DagBoy
Of course, to be one of these statistics, it helps if you are somewhere that you occasionally see snakes. In five years living in and around Brisbane (mostly on acreage) I have seen about 6 snakes.
May 12th 2006, 1:39 pm
#8
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Re: Killed by a snake?
[QUOTE=cresta57]Our local snake catcher died last year after failing to correctly identify a snake that bit him.
Poor bugger
Poor bugger
May 12th 2006, 1:42 pm
#9
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Re: Killed by a snake?
Originally Posted by cresta57
Our local snake catcher died last year after failing to correctly identify a snake that bit him.
Originally Posted by Angela Marie
Poor bugger
You'd think with a job like that, he would have done a teeny bit more research before he let it bite him
May 12th 2006, 3:21 pm
#10
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Re: Killed by a snake?
Originally Posted by WendyC
You'd think with a job like that, he would have done a teeny bit more research before he let it bite him
Used to drive up to building sites where his blokes were working and lob a snake up on the roof at them. Wouldn't have died if he'd gone to the hospital for a shot of anti venom. I may even nominate him for a Darwin award myself
May 12th 2006, 3:25 pm
#11
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Re: Killed by a snake?
Originally Posted by cresta57
He went to the pub showed off the bite and told everyone it was from a non venomous snake, it wasn't, he was found dead the next day slumped in front of the T.V beer in hand.
May 12th 2006, 6:01 pm
#12
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Re: Killed by a snake?
Originally Posted by Swerv-o
ABC Diamond posted some interesting facts on this a while ago. I don't recall them exactly, but the odds of dying from a snake or spider bite are very small. I think the last spider death was 1979? Maybe do a search for the thread...
S
S
Jan 19th 2007, 7:58 am
#13
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Jan 19th 2007, 11:16 am
#15
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Re: Killed by a snake?
We are heading down to validate in a few weeks time. I've spent the last year and a bit convincing the wife that snakes don't really bother you in a populated area (we are likely to settle in the Northern Beachs, Sydney) and spiders are fine if you leave them alone.
So we're sitting watching WDU last night and they show a snake slithering along the patio and climbing up the wall and in through an open window!
They then show Paul looking at the Redback, and the work colleagues laughing about having checked the patio chairs at the barbie.
Now, I kind of laughed it off, but Sue was not impressed.
So, can anyone offer reassurance re. snakes and Sydney? And can anyone offer guidance on the best way of handling spiders if they are indoors? We have a young family, so any general rules re. snake/spider sense would be helpful too (e.g. mind the lips on plant pots, etc.).
Thanks in advance.