Snakes are some of Australia’s most beautiful, but also most feared animals. Everyone knows a story about someone being bitten by a lightning fast snake, and dying soon after. Fortunately most of these stories are urban myths. Although a snake’s reflexes are better than a human’s , no snake strikes faster than a human punches, or travels faster than 10kph. It is extremely rare that somebody dies of a snake bite in under 5 hrs.
The true number of snakebites in Australia is unknown, but is estimated to be several thousand a year. Only 300 of them require treatment with antivenom, and only 2-4 cases a year result in death. To put that in perspective, over 20 people die each year horse riding in Australia, and many thousands get hurt or die in accidents.
Over the last 20 years, about 60% of deaths where caused by the Brown snake, 30% by the Tiger snake, and the Death Adder, Rough Scaled snake and the Taipan where responsible for most of the rest. Not all snakebites result in envenomation; actually less than half do. Most of the time the snake chooses to give a warning without injecting venom. Eastern brown snakes have an envenomation rate of 20%-40%, Mulga snake, Inland Taipan and the common Death Adder of 40%-60%, and the Taipan 80%.
In very most cases of somebody getting bitten by a snake, the victim was either trying to handle or kill the snake, or was drunk. Snakes bite to defend themselves. Don’t give them a reason to feel threatened, leave them an escape route, and they will happily slither away.
Don’t fear a snake, but respect it for what it is and leave it alone.
The true number of snakebites in Australia is unknown, but is estimated to be several thousand a year. Only 300 of them require treatment with antivenom, and only 2-4 cases a year result in death. To put that in perspective, over 20 people die each year horse riding in Australia, and many thousands get hurt or die in accidents.
Over the last 20 years, about 60% of deaths where caused by the Brown snake, 30% by the Tiger snake, and the Death Adder, Rough Scaled snake and the Taipan where responsible for most of the rest. Not all snakebites result in envenomation; actually less than half do. Most of the time the snake chooses to give a warning without injecting venom. Eastern brown snakes have an envenomation rate of 20%-40%, Mulga snake, Inland Taipan and the common Death Adder of 40%-60%, and the Taipan 80%.
In very most cases of somebody getting bitten by a snake, the victim was either trying to handle or kill the snake, or was drunk. Snakes bite to defend themselves. Don’t give them a reason to feel threatened, leave them an escape route, and they will happily slither away.
Don’t fear a snake, but respect it for what it is and leave it alone.
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