Queensland snakes: hot spots for snakebites revealed
QUEENSLAND Ambulance Service was called to more than 700 snakebites last financial year, new figures obtained by The Courier Mail show.
Metro North was the state’s snakebite hotspot in 2015-16 with 85 call outs, followed by Central Queensland (82), Metro South (74), Townsville (69), and Mackay (63).
The data, released by QAS, shows ambulances attended to 732 snakebites last financial year, up from 653 the year before and 725 in 2013-14.
Top venomologist Bryan Fry said it’s a common misconception that people are only vulnerable to snakebites in the bush.
“Certain animals thrive in disturbed habitats,” he said.
“Whenever you have a new housing estate that’s been carved out of a bit of bushland you’re going to have snake issues for the first year or two.”
AU QLD: Snake Catcher Snags Venomous Eastern Brown as it Makes Escape in School Garden October 26 5:42
A deadly snake foraging for food in a school garden almost slipped away from a catcher on October 26. A snake catcher was hunting for an eastern brown snake, considered to be the second most venomous land snake in the world, seen scavenging for lizards under a bed of rocks at Grantham State School. Turning over every rock and rustling bushes, he eventually caught sight of the snake and tried to get a grip on it. The snake managed to break free and made a mad dash for a small hole underneath the garden; it managed to squeeze its head through, but not before the catcher took a hold of its tail. The site has seen its share of deadly reptiles, with the school having on numerous occasions made calls to the Toowoomba Snake Catchers. Credit: Facebook/Toowoomba Snake Catchers 24/7
Trevor Meredith was bitten by a brown snake earlier this month on his Burpengary farm.
The 72-year-old said he did not actually see the snake, which was hidden his in crowded shed, but there were clear puncture wounds on his calf.
He said Caboolture Hospital staff later told him he’d experience a “dry bite”, where no venom was released, meaning he did not suffer any symptoms.
But the close encounter was a wake-up call for Mr Meredith who said he’d now be keeping a “wary eye out” for snakes.
Metro North Hospital and Health Service said its hospitals had treated 94 patients for snakebites so far this year, including 34 people at Caboolture Hospital and 28 people at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.
AU QLD: Queenslander Finds Pythons Duelling Inside Kitchen October 091:33
A video posted online showing two snakes entangled with one another has led to a debate across social media as to whether the pair are mating or fighting. Murray Pass, who filmed the video of the two carpet pythons in Dayboro, Queensland, on October 9, said in a Facebook post: ?Apparently this is a pair of dudes fighting over a woman.. I thought they were mating since the difference in colours lead me to assume they?re of opposite sex.? Pass said the pair were at it for ?probably 30 minutes? before he dragged them out of his kitchen. ?I wanted to watch till the end to make sure they didn?t break everything. I dragged them outside while they kept going at it?Don?t think they even noticed I was doing it,? Pass said. Daniel Natusch, University of Sydney python expert, said the pythons were ?engaged in ritualised combat,? according to ABC News. ?They?re trying to push each others? heads to the ground to establish dominance,? Natusch said. Credit: YouTube/Murray Pass
Caboolture Hospital acting emergency department director Sean Clark said only one-on-ten people bitten by a snake would actually be injected by venom.
“The majority of patients who present to the emergency department have very few symptoms apart from either a witnessed or a suspected snakebite,” he said.
“That might look like, even just a scratch on the skin, something that people don’t imagine or a classic puncture mark. It might look just like a graze.”
Dr Clark said anyone who thought they had been bitten should first move away from the snake, before applying a firm bandage to the entire limb.
He said victims should not wash the bite site and should remain still, while someone else calls for help.
| Local Ambulance Service Network (LASN) | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 |
| CAIRNS & HINTERLAND | 74 | 74 | 72 | 70 |
| CAPE YORK | 6 | 7 | 3 | 5 |
| CENTRAL QLD | 71 | 64 | 46 | 82 |
| CENTRAL WEST | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| DARLING DOWNS | 46 | 61 | 59 | 55 |
| GOLD COAST | 29 | 43 | 28 | 40 |
| MACKAY | 52 | 54 | 43 | 63 |
| METRO NORTH | 61 | 70 | 81 | 85 |
| METRO SOUTH | 62 | 76 | 62 | 74 |
| NORTH WEST | 7 | 8 | 9 | 18 |
| SOUTH WEST | 2 | 7 | 6 | 3 |
| SUNSHINE COAST | 68 | 82 | 80 | 62 |
| TOWNSVILLE | 67 | 67 | 56 | 69 |
| WEST MORETON | 54 | 48 | 47 | 56 |
| WIDE BAY | 48 | 60 | 60 | 48 |
| STATEWIDE | 651 | 725 | 653 | 732 |
*Source: Queensland Ambulance Service