New York: Venomous snake bites owner; six snakes seized from home

NEW YORK -- A snake owner was bitten on the hand by one of his venomous snakes at his New York home.

The man, who the SCPA identified as 32-year-old Richard Downing, was handling the Egyptian saw-scaled viper, which he owns, at the house on Salem Avenue Monday night when he was bitten on the middle finger of his right hand.

Downing was alert and conscious, but taken by helicopter to Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx to get a venom antidote.

When he got there, however, it was determined that treatment was not necessary.

Six venomous snakes were confiscated from the self-described professional snake handler's home later Tuesday.

"It was just one prick. It was my own stupidity," said Downing, who was feeding the viper at home when she bit him.

 

Richard Downing

"I've been doing this for 15 years. I've rolled in snakes," he said. "It was just wrong timing. You play with fire, you get bit by fire. I'm extremely lucky to be alive and breathing."

Downing said he used to have a permit for the snakes but it expired. However, authorities say you cannot get a permit for these types of snakes [exceptions are probably made for zoos but not private owners].

The viper which bit him

“They’re very small,” Suffolk County SPCA Chief Roy Gross said. “They’re only maybe a foot long, but deadly.”

“It’s known to be one of the most deadly snakes in at least Africa, if not the entire world,” Dr. Vincent Nguyen, Jacobi Medical Center, added.

All six of his venomous snakes -- including the viper, a Monocled Cobra, an African Puff Adder, a Western African Viper (may mean a Western Bush Viper) and two rattlesnakes - were confiscated by the Suffolk County Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The victim said he always kept the snakes in a locked tank in a locked room, and insisted they were never a threat to the public.

"He is very lucky to be alive," said a representative from the SCPA.

Prior to this particular event, the SPCA said it had already planned to hold an event October 15 where people can turn in their illegal reptiles with no questions asked.

(ABC13 - Sept 6, 2016)

Texas officials locate loose 8 to 10 foot long King Cobra

TEXAS -- Law enforcement officers say they have located a missing King Cobra in a Texas neighborhood.

Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday afternoon that officials were searching for the snake, which is 8 to 10 feet long. Crews targeted an area off of Cloudt Road in Needville, southwest of Houston. Texas Game Wardens assisted in the search.

The sheriff's office said the school district and neighbors were advised.

The department later shared a humorous photo online of the sheriff searching for the snake - while he stood on top of a car in an elevated position.

The caption read, "We might get fired, but we just have to share this pic of Sheriff (Troy) Nehls looking for the snake in Needvile from an 'elevated' position!"

Shortly after 4 p.m., the sheriff's office notified residents the snake had been located in a Facebook posting.

The snake was found alive and has been captured.

According to National Geographic, a single king cobra bite is enough to kill 20 people or one elephant. They are generally shy and try to avoid humans but will become aggressive if cornered.

The king cobra is considered the world's longest venomous snake and can grow as long as about 18 feet.

(KLTV - Aug 24, 2016)

Pet Shop Worker Killed By Suspected Cobra Bite

TEXAS -- A pet shop employee has died after he was found inside his car with puncture wounds on his wrist from a suspected bite from a cobra, according to reports.

Grant Thompson, 18, was pronounced dead at St David's Round Rock Medical Center in Austin on Tuesday night.

The teenager, who worked at Fish Bowl Pet Express in Temple along with his mother, was found unconscious in the car park of a Lowe's store.

Paramedics said he had gone into cardiac arrest and had puncture wounds on his wrist, myFOXdc.com reported.

The website said the man who called 911 after spotting the teenager told operators: "Can I tell you something? He has bumper stickers that say I brake for snakes.

"I don't know if he was bitten or anything."

  

Animal Control officers discovered a bull frog, six tarantulas and one non-venomous brown snake inside the car.

But police said a monocled cobra was missing from a cage inside Mr Thompson's home and was not found inside the vehicle.

An autopsy will take place on Thursday.

Monocled cobras are widespread across South and Southeast Asia and have a distinctive O-shaped mark on the back of their hood.

Their venom blocks nerve transmissions, which leads to respiratory failure.

Monocled cobras cause the most deaths in Thailand from snake bites.

(Sky News - July 16, 2015)