snakebite question
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Frostbite does not have a mind of it's own.
You do things right, you come home safe.
You do things right, you come home safe.
Mate, my joke comment was said in jest!
I'm sorry if it's caused offence. It wasn't meant to!
as long as you close it properly or the zip doesn't fail....
when i spent two unforgetable month wth Aborigines on dampier peninsula i closed the zip on my tent not properly one evening--- next morning i had an ca. 7" long centipede falling out of my shorts when i wanted to put them on.... .since then i make very sure it's comcompletely closed
i guess with common sense, eyes kept open all time (=situation awareness) and a few simple precautions the risk of snakebite will be greatly reduced.....
It isn't true
Snakes will go up the hollow inside of burnt out trees in pursuit of birds. I've seen dugites come out of a hollow in a tree trunk, quite a long way from the ground.
my friend lived in the Top End (where i also spent most of my time in Oz). i spent only 2month in "dugite country" which might explain why i never saw it myself (and why i'm not used to look for venomous snakes up in tree's).....
I spent six months in Belize , a lot of the time out in the jungle. Snakes were present but were not really an issue, if you saw one it was usually departing fast.
I saw a few fer de lance and several other unidentified species.
Never heard of anyone getting bitten while I was there, and there was no specific training to deal with snakebite other than standard casevac according to our SOPs. As you will be alone this can't apply but having some sort of plan and getting advice is what you are starting here. I would pay a visit to the nearest hospital if I were in your shoes, and speak to them.
I saw a few fer de lance and several other unidentified species.
Never heard of anyone getting bitten while I was there, and there was no specific training to deal with snakebite other than standard casevac according to our SOPs. As you will be alone this can't apply but having some sort of plan and getting advice is what you are starting here. I would pay a visit to the nearest hospital if I were in your shoes, and speak to them.
good to know there's only a few incidents
i will ask the locals who live close to where i'll be staying how they deal with snakebites, where they get help in such a case and keep my eyes open when walking. and a stick handy to have something to put between me and the snake in case of a close-up encounter.... .
hospitals and doctors make me nervous and i'm not sure if they'll understand me so i hope i can sort it without paying them a visit
as long as you close it properly or the zip doesn't fail....
when i spent two unforgetable month wth Aborigines on dampier peninsula i closed the zip on my tent not properly one evening--- next morning i had an ca. 7" long centipede falling out of my shorts when i wanted to put them on.... .since then i make very sure it's comcompletely closed
i guess with common sense, eyes kept open all time (=situation awareness) and a few simple precautions the risk of snakebite will be greatly reduced.....
Aye, you have to do your bit, good camp drills are important in the tropics. I'v only ever hammocked in the jungle and wouldn't trust zips not to fail.
A bugnet that hangs underneath the hammock (fronky style) and can be cinched up is my favorite.
A stick is certainly useful, but more to thrash grass, lift branches aside and poke into place to check for snakes.
Prevention is better than confrontation.
Snakes, like most animals, really don't want a fight. Spot them before they spot you, avoid the confrontation. You've been around enough wild places to know that one.
Most of the snakebites I've ever heard of in Oz happened when someone was trying to be macho and 'deal' with a snake. I spent 20 years running round the bush, mostly barefoot and in shorts and was never bitten. Trod on a couple of snakes when I was careless, and jumped over a few when running through the bush and spotted them a tad too late to stop a safe distance away. Got struck at when I stopped to pee and stood too close to a grass-tree without checking under it first.
Learn (so in your case, ask locals) the type of spaces where the snakes like to sleep, and lie in wait for prey. Those are the dangerous spaces, where they are dozy and out of sight.
Prevention is better than confrontation.
Snakes, like most animals, really don't want a fight. Spot them before they spot you, avoid the confrontation. You've been around enough wild places to know that one.
Most of the snakebites I've ever heard of in Oz happened when someone was trying to be macho and 'deal' with a snake. I spent 20 years running round the bush, mostly barefoot and in shorts and was never bitten. Trod on a couple of snakes when I was careless, and jumped over a few when running through the bush and spotted them a tad too late to stop a safe distance away. Got struck at when I stopped to pee and stood too close to a grass-tree without checking under it first.
Learn (so in your case, ask locals) the type of spaces where the snakes like to sleep, and lie in wait for prey. Those are the dangerous spaces, where they are dozy and out of sight.
i heard the same thing about the U.S. of A. .... .but i'm not planning to show off and leave snakes (and other animals ) to themselves unless i'm hunting(for food); my usual approach when encountering snakes is to take step back to let them go their way and tell them i mean no harm. the only species where that doesn't seem to work is the mamushi/salmosa (gloydius blomhoffii) as they're rather aggressive critters going straight into "" attack mode"" when i encounter them, they're also well camouflaged....
i like to go barefoot as well and the thought of coming across a p***ed of snake in dense undergrowth makes me a bit nervous :yikes:
i also came accross snakes living under the wooden shower floor i took apart barefoot (5ft. king brown) or living in the kitchen cupboard of a house i moved in for house sitting (python)....
Don't walk into dense undergrowth in snake country . . .
That may sound a bit disingenuous, but it is true. If you *have* to (and I've had to wade through waist-deep swamp on a bush hike in snake country, ugh), that's what your stick is for, you thrash the undergrowth and go cautious. Most snakes will go away. Don't rush it. Or wear boots and heavy long trousers.
Comments, Jonathon?
don't worry-i'll only walk barefoot where i can see what's going on. on overnight walks i would wear shoes anyway... .
I haven't been wading waist-deep through swamps yet :yikes: , but the spear grass in Oz can get 8ft high....
i'm not sure if i get a chance to use the internet again before heading off and how often i'll get internet where i'm going, so my next visit to BCUK might take some time
uppy_dog thanks again for all the answers!
For a communication device, also have a satellite phone that uses Thurya, iridium or Inmarsat satellites, learn how to use it before you go.
Also as others have mentioned have camp protocols I.e careful where you store your clothes and boots, checking your bed before going to sleep, on, under and above.
Snakes are not the only thing venomous you have to worry about. Spiders, centipede, millipedes, scorpions. Your protocols should cover these as well.
Then there are mosquito borne diseases. Malaria and dengue being the main ones as well as yellow fever. Practise bite prevention and take anti malarials such as Malarone. If you get falciparum Malaria and don't get it treated soon enough, there is only one outcome - death. We do not develop immunity to it like in the films.
I lived in west Africa for three years and travelled from South Africa all the way up to Cameroon / Equatorial Guinea. I had a great time despite all of the above. It soon becomes second nature, apart from when you have too much alcohol. That's when incidents happen.
Also as others have mentioned have camp protocols I.e careful where you store your clothes and boots, checking your bed before going to sleep, on, under and above.
Snakes are not the only thing venomous you have to worry about. Spiders, centipede, millipedes, scorpions. Your protocols should cover these as well.
Then there are mosquito borne diseases. Malaria and dengue being the main ones as well as yellow fever. Practise bite prevention and take anti malarials such as Malarone. If you get falciparum Malaria and don't get it treated soon enough, there is only one outcome - death. We do not develop immunity to it like in the films.
I lived in west Africa for three years and travelled from South Africa all the way up to Cameroon / Equatorial Guinea. I had a great time despite all of the above. It soon becomes second nature, apart from when you have too much alcohol. That's when incidents happen.
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One piece of advice I picked up in the US was to look over logs before you step over them, a snake can be laid up on the other side and strike at your leg.
Dad told me the best anti snake device is a long walking stick.
Not to beat the snake, but to thump it in front of you.
Shoes and long trousers are good too.
Not to beat the snake, but to thump it in front of you.
Shoes and long trousers are good too.
There's a few useful websites here in Oz like St Johns Ambulance that tells you what to do in case of snakebite. Problem is that they involve immobilisation which is a bit difficult if you're by yourself in the jungle and have to walk out. They usually recommend not trying to remove the venom as the doctors will need it to identify the snake and get the correct anti-venom for it.
Ive always taken a long stick when going through long grass or swamps to hit the ground and make the snakes aware I'm there so they bugger off.
Ive always taken a long stick when going through long grass or swamps to hit the ground and make the snakes aware I'm there so they bugger off.
Very recent evidence now shows that the old wives tale of non climbing venomous snakes is wrong. Any snake in Oz can climb a tree depending on the situation. If they are evading a stressful situation or due to environmental issues.
