Snake Bite!

[Michael Alexander]

I was just curious to know if any of you knew anyone living in Omund as a kid or adult that had a snake bite? We all played in the desert, but for the life of me, I do not remember anyone ever being bitten.....

[Patricia Lotte]

No, can't remember anyone being bitten. We were obviously very cautious. I remember almost stepping on a huge puff adder that was crawled up under a bush near the log cabin one day. Sh*t in my pants for the rest of the day. Good thing is that growing up in a desert town has taught me to always be on the lookout for desert snakes, which has definately come in handy when I go on desert outings here. Though must admit, the snakes here are much smaller than in the Namib.

[georgswa (Georg Ruf) (RIP)]

I cought one at 1 Plant.

Took it home and placed it in a tree to take picture. A young cape cobra, very agressive.

Had to catch it again and gave to the school where is was exposed for the kids in a bottle with some liquid.

I only have it on film. Will post a picture from that just now......

[Teel]

No snakebites but nearly stood on a scorpion in our garage.  My brother then made it scuttle outside where we teased and tortured it for ages.  I was always scared of going into the dark garages from then on.

[georgswa (Georg Ruf) (RIP)]

Her some taken with 8 mm filmcamera

1) Cape Cobra in our garden in O-mund




2) Puffadder PE Snake Park




3) Boomslang PE Snake Park

[Patricia Lotte]

I cought one at 1 Plant.

Took it home and placed it in a tree to take picture. A young cape cobra, very agressive.

Had to catch it again and gave to the school where is was exposed for the kids in a bottle with some liquid.

I only have it on film. Will post a picture from that just now......

Aw god, that is disgusting. Georg, has I known that you had a snake in your garden, I would have moved out immediately.

[Michael Alexander]

The point I'm trying to make...is that even though we live in the middle of the desert, we all saw snakes, but nobody was bitten...... 

[georgswa (Georg Ruf) (RIP)]

@ Patrica

You also had your share of pets LOL

No no, i had it under control. I dont fear snakes, only have respect.......

Spitting cobra however is very dangerous it hits you from several metres in the eyes, spot on !!!!!

I also brought a Chamalion from the mine, i guess your cat got hold of him LOL

Have a nice day down south

[Patricia Lotte]

There's a huge difference between 'pets' and those disgusting legless creatures. I can't open this subject for fear of seeing those photos you posted and having nightmares ...  :emot78:

[Rhona]

I thought a snake-bite was half lager and half cider all mixed evenly in a pint glass.............

[georgswa (Georg Ruf) (RIP)]

@ Patricia

And i dream of vicious cats giving me allergies, thats the difference

If you cant sleep, try a Windhoek lager in the eavening that helps

Your cat can then catch the white mice you may see after that

bling1

[Florrie van Zyl (Muir)]

Ellen and I were nearly bitten by a horn adder, the snake was curled up between the two of us and I heard this noise. I looked down saw it and started running, had to shout to Ellen because she was still standing there unaware of it. Some boys also walking in the desert killed it and put it in a jar for us, took it home to put in spirits to take to school but when we opened the jar, the thing wasn't dead and came sliding out and my mother nearly had a fit. Someone visiting the Burgess' across the road came to help us. Used a curtain rail to pick the snake up and into the spirits jar.

[Alfred Boehme]

Found a pofadder under old car parts in my garden once, stange never heard of a snake bite in O/Mund

[Bev Coates (Now Walker)]

snakes have always been my 2nd equal fear with frogs.....i once nearly trod on one walking home from school one day with Sandra Wiliams......i ran screaming all the way home and she just stood rooted to the spot screaming her head off.......i have now watched i think every wild life program there ever was about snakes........love to see the shows.....but cant watch when they eat anything....thats the bit that scares me.........but maybe the reason no one was bitten is that theres only a couple of species of snakes that are agressive and will actually bite for no reason.......of course if you picked the snake up and it bit you cant blame the snake.......so i sgree it is weird no on got bit....maybe the namibian snakes are friendly..........................but....CAN YOU MAKE SURE THERE ARE NONE AROUND IN NOVEMBER PLEASE... :36_2_35:
     

[Dalene Steenkamp (Coetzee)]

I remember after the '74 floods a man was bitten by a puff adder.  The scariest experience I had with snakes was last year February when my son was bitten by an adder.

My daughter had an emergency appendix op on 18 Feb.  On 19 Feb I was visiting her in hospital, when my husband called me, his voice a meer squeek........  Boet was bitten by a snake.  My God!....  I shouted at the hospital personel that I was gonna be back in 10 mins with my son.  They thought I was joking.  Ran out the hospital, jumped in my car and drove like crazy to meet Cobus and Boet half way.  Met them three quarters of the way to the farm, grabbed Boet and within about 10 minutes was back at the hospital.  Everybody was running around like cats on a hot plate. Then.....  no anti venim, for noboddy knew what sort of snake it was that had bitten him.  They wanted to know from me where the snake was.  Eventually told them -  it's a bloody snake with teeth and venom that bit my child - just do something.  My housedoc that was in hospital at that time to come and see how my daughter was doing, had heard about the child who was bitten by a snake.  Came into the emergency room and saw it was me.  I was in a state.  My childs arm was then already swollen from the wrist (that's where the bugger got him) halfway to his elbow.  Pieter got on the phone to a specialist in Kimberley immediatly  -  this guy told him what drip to put on and said that Boet had to be transported to Kimberley as in NOW!.  Pieters said - don't wait for an ambulance, get in your car and take your son. Kimberley about 320km from Kathu  -  I made it there in 1hr and 40mins.  Prayed all the way.  Every 5 mins just told Boet - don't sleep and drink water!  Felt so sorry for my son, 'cos I think he was more scared than I was.  At one stage he asked me - Ma, can I die from a snake bite.  Told him yes, but your'e not going to - you are a favourite child of the Lord.  Between Barclays and Kim he told me that he could'nt breathe lekker anymore.  I drove through Kimberley at a speed of about 150km/h  -  skipped every red robot.  Got to the emergency and they were waiting for us.  By then Boet's arm was swollen really bad.  When they took him, his blood pressure had dropped to 60 over 30, his veins had collapsed and they had to search for a vein in his groin.  That's when mamma Dalene just dropped down to the floor and asked them for water, lots of water.  The doc said they were going to give me a shot - said I did not want any shots - just needed water.  They wanted to know if I was thursty - said no - it's the best calming medecine of all.

So many people called me during that time to say that they were praying for us.  People whom I had never even heard of, called me or send messages.  People in the hospital came to the ICU to come and see him.  People stopped me in the passages and asked if it was my child that was bitten and said they would pray for us.  To say the least - if I had never seen a miracle in my life, I saw it last year Feb.  Even the specialist said he could'nt believe what he saw, but he had to.  5 Days in ICU, 2 days in general ward, then Boet and I were on our way home.  The swelling was gone and where the actual bite was, it looked like mosquito bites. 

While he was in ICU the first day, 2 guys from the snakebite institue came to see him.  They said it was a burrowing adder.  The poison is in the same category as that of a puff adder, but there is no specific anti venom for this nake, for since 1956 it was only the 3d case they knew of. 

So, never say it only happens to other people.  As Cobus and I spoke he said something funny:  I don't even know someone who knows someone who has ever been bitten by a snake, and now it happens to our child!  My goodness - I still get short of breath when I tell this to you, but THANK YOU LORD  -  my child turns 18 one of these days and I think he has forgotten by now that he was snake bitten.  Best of all -  he says it was not the snake's fault - the snake was desturbed and fended in the only way it could - to bite!

In the meantime, Susan was discharged from hospital in Kathu - her operation a success and the only thing she was sorry about, was that she missed out on her SA athletics!

Now you know why I only have 2 kids  - how would I be able to handle it if I had more!