A snake catcher and his wife have been rushed to hospital in Australia after an encounter with one of the world's most dangerous snakes.
Harrison's Gold Coast and Brisbane Snake Catcher owner Tony Harrison was bitten while trying to remove two eastern brown snakes, considered to be the second most venomous snakes on Earth after the inland taipan, from a property.
His wife, Brooke, wasn't bitten, but she collapsed with "stomach and chest pains, exhaustion and stress" following the incident, a statement posted to Facebook read.
The snakes had reportedly been mating before the snake catchers removed them. Eastern browns are one of the most dangerous snake species in Australia—while they have an unassuming appearance, looking harmless to many people, their venom can kill in under an hour if medical assistance isn't sought immediately.
The couple, who were Facebook live-streaming the removal, according to 7News, were rushed to Logan Hospital. It is understood the snake catcher was bitten on the wrist.
On the snake removal service's Facebook page, Harrison said "things went south" for them both at 1 a.m following the removal.
"Brooke collapsed and was admitted at 5 am. Been a rough 24 hours.. my bloods are turning for the better now...at 630 am," he wrote on a Facebook post.
While he is still in a serious condition, Tony is stable, Queensland Ambulance Service told 7News.
"Tony's bloods are showing signs of improvement," Brooke said on Facebook. "His levels of envenomation were/are very low. He's been advised to sit it out which he is. His kidneys have suffered damage which may require dialysis and he needs a ct scan to make sure there is no bleeding where it shouldn't be. As for myself, I was not bitten. I suffered stomach and chest pains, exhaustion and stress which is why they administered me."
We are both admitted Things went south at 1 am... Brooke has collapsed and been admitted at 5 am.. Been a rough 24 hours.. my bloods are turning for the...
Brooke said their son, Jensen, "is so happy that he can still spend time with his dad.. but he is very tired too."
A few hours after her original update, Brooke shared another one, saying that Tony didn't need dialysis, but that treatment was ongoing.
To treat snake bites, medical professionals use anti-venom. Treatment must be sought immediately after a bite, otherwise the risk of death increases.
"Tonys 2.30 bloods have come back with more improvements, his kidneys are sorting themselves [...]. Haven't heard anything about the CT scan yet. His eyes and tongue muscles are not working the best due to the neurotoxins, but the toxicology team are not too worried about that at this stage," she said.
Eastern brown snakes have a powerful venom, full of blood clot-inducing toxins.
"The bites can result in rapid collapse and sudden death within minutes of the bites – thought to be associated with reduced blood flow to the heart caused by these clotting factors," Australian toxicologist Ken Winkel, from the School of Population and Global Health in Melbourne, previously told Newsweek.
"These patients sometimes recover from the collapse, and unconsciousness, to exhibit unclottable blood. This can lead to uncontrolled bleeding into the gut or brain with deadly consequences. This bleeding tendency is because the powerful clotting factors, made up of enzymes, use up all the clotting proteins in the blood leaving the patient vulnerable to major bleeds."
Thankfully, deaths caused by snake bites are extremely rare. Although the snakes are incredibly venomous, most tend to slither away from humans rather than attack. Bites only usually occur if a snake feels provoked or threatened in some way, or if they are accidentally stepped on or bothered.
The snake season in Australia is now in fully swing, meaning the cold-blooded reptiles are more active.
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