Yikes! Tourist bitten by rattlesnake at WH!

[Molliday]

http://www.wftv.com/news/28442938/detail.html

As many times that I've been to WDW, this is the last thing I thought to look out for! I hope this man will be okay.

 

[Saltzie]

Wow! I'll have to keep a close eye out for snakes. I'm headed to WH on August 9th. Hopefully, it's an isolated incident!

 

[rt2dz]

Why was the dumb-dumb trying to kill a snake with a stick!?!? Come on, the guy is from Texas--lots of poisonous snakes (and spiders), including rattlesnakes. I get this is a bit of a different type of rattler, but who uses a STICK to try and kill a snake?? He should know better than that. You have to chop off the head, and a stick isn't going to do it.

I feel bad for the guy and his family, don't get me wrong. But, sometimes people have to own up to their end of the situation. The snake was simply defending itself--he attacked the snake. And, while his reasoning was good, he didn't do it with the proper tools.

 

[Molliday]

Why was the dumb-dumb trying to kill a snake with a stick!?!? Come on, the guy is from Texas--lots of poisonous snakes (and spiders), including rattlesnakes. I get this is a bit of a different type of rattler, but who uses a STICK to try and kill a snake?? He should know better than that. You have to chop of the head, and a stick isn't going to do it.

Not me!

 

[BoardWalkBelle]

I am sorry he was bitten but he should have left it alone..the snake would probably had alithered away and not hurt anyone.

 

[mikkiwikki]

Ugh - not what I wanted to hear...
Hope this poor man is ok...I would be besides myself as the wife...

We were planning on going to WINDSOR hills over christmas...hope they survey the pool area to find any more ..before they find me..

 

[JimMIA]

Pygmy rattlesnakes are different from what he's used to in Texas -- much smaller, usually about 12-18 inches and rarely more than 24 inches. They don't look much like rattlesnakes and their rattles are too small to be heard by humans. Pygmies will stand their ground, but usually don't bite unless really disturbed or stepped on. Even when you move them, they will coil and make threatening displays, but they don't usually try to strike.

This is yet another case of natural selection. This mental giant wasn't standing back flailing the snake with a big stick; Pygmies can only strike about 1/3 of their length...maybe 6-8 inches. In fact, I don't believe the "killing the snake" story at all.

My bet is the rocket-scientist either picked the snake up, or was trying to pick it up and got bitten. Something like 90% of venomous snake bites in Florida are on the fingers, and trying to handle snakes is why.

He should be fine, although he'll go through a lot of pain. He's certainly not going to die -- the biggest danger with this kind of snake bite is necrosis (dying tissue), and the anti-venin should control that.

 

[rt2dz]

Pygmy rattlesnakes are different from what he's used to in Texas -- much smaller, usually about 12-18 inches and rarely more than 24 inches. They don't look much like rattlesnakes and their rattles are too small to be heard by humans.

Oh, I get they are a totally different kind of snake, but Texas is filled with venomous snakes (many that make no noise at all) and other critters. The point was, he should know a poisonous snake by the mouth and he should also know HOW to kill a snake--not with a "stick".

I do also agree, he might not have been trying to kill the snake, but handling it in some way.

I do feel bad for the guy, and especially his kids, for what happened, but I also think it is HIS fault.

 

[JimMIA]

And, while his reasoning was good, ...

Apparently, his reasoning wasn't very good at all. He's in the hospital and the snake is a local hero.

Also, you can't tell whether a snake is venomous by it's mouth -- unless you stick your finger in it like this moron did! Nor can you tell by the shape of its head, color, pattern, or any of that stuff. That's just Internet lore.

[ETA: Actually, there is one venomous snake in Florida you can tell by color and especially color pattern -- the Coral Snake.]

Florida has hundreds of species of snakes, a few of which are venomous. The best approach is, if you don't know the Latin scientific name for that species, leave the snake alone. Snakes left alone don't bother humans.

 

[bunky8384]

Oy! I'm going to have to agree... what was this guy thinking?!?

You see a snake... you go the other way! At least that's how I feel about it..

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Oy! I'm going to have to agree... what was this guy thinking?!?

You see a snake... you go the other way! At least that's how I feel about it..

...oooor...if you're like me (afraid of 3 kinds of snakes: live ones, dead ones, & sticks that look like one) hack the suspected snake to bits with a shovel then run off hollerin' for the husband to come to the rescue. If no shovel is accessible it's time to leave. Period.

 

[Disney Ella]

...oooor...if you're like me (afraid of 3 kinds of snakes: live ones, dead ones, & sticks that look like one) hack the suspected snake to bits with a shovel then run off hollerin' for the husband to come to the rescue. If no shovel is accessible it's time to leave. Period.

Somehow that man missed out on learning the basics about dealing with snakes.

 

[amypetecar]

Moral of the story.... poke snake with stick = snake bite.... got it.

 

[shalom]

Something like 90% of venomous snake bites in Florida are on the fingers, and trying to handle snakes is why.

Well, and reaching into bushes or the general landscaping for something you dropped and not seeing the snake, as happened to the little boy of a poster in POR (I think it was).

Although the guy in the story linked here was clearly being a moron. I don't get why this guy with his "huge heart" doesn't get the concept of "live and let live," which is a perfectly reasonable approach to life and one most snakes adhere to. Except when it comes to the carnivorous ones, who admittedly eat others to live, but they still aren't interested in hassling someone they aren't trying to eat.

 

[3suns]

I'm debating on sharing this thread with the rest of my family.

If I do, I may never get my kids back into the main pool at WH. When we were there in June, my kids kept asking why the snakes and alligators from "the swamp" (the area north of the pool) couldn't just climb the high wall and get into the pool. I guess they can!

 

[JimMIA]

Well, and reaching into bushes or the general landscaping for something you dropped and not seeing the snake, as happened to the little boy of a poster in POR (I think it was).

Yes, and that's the message here for us parents.

Forget the Darwin Award nominee who lost his epic battle with an 18-inch long snake (I'd love to introduce this turkey to a 12-foot Burmese Python sometime!). He wouldn't make the Sweet Sixteen in the Darwin Awards, BTW. He's dumb enough -- just not brave enough.

The fact is, Florida is Florida. We have snakes, we have bugs, we have other yucky things.

Assuming we adults have the presence of mind to avoid stunts like this moron, we also have responsibilities to our kids. Teach them not to stick their little hands into bushes. There are lots of things in bushes that BITE. Snakes are actually probably the most benign of the possibilities -- with caterpillars being the worst.

 

[Molliday]

I'm debating on sharing this thread with the rest of my family.

If I do, I may never get my kids back into the main pool at WH. When we were there in June, my kids kept asking why the snakes and alligators from "the swamp" (the area north of the pool) couldn't just climb the high wall and get into the pool. I guess they can!

I wouldn't. What's the point? It never hurts though, to advise your children what to do when they come across snakes - in the general sense. Apparently this man missed that discussion with his parents.

 

[JimMIA]

When we were there in June, my kids kept asking why the snakes and alligators from "the swamp" (the area north of the pool) couldn't just climb the high wall and get into the pool. I guess they can!

Snakes certainly can. But once again -- teach the kids what to do if they see a snake.

Don't teach them to freak out and want to chop their heads off! Teach them to ENJOY the snake. It's a natural critter -- watch it and see what it does. It won't hurt you if you leave it alone.

Alligators are a different story -- not normally in natural surroundings, but in built-up areas like WDW, definitely. Any alligator you see in a developed area has been FED by some moron...which makes them aggressive toward humans.

So with alligators, the question becomes "How high is that wall?" (I'm not familiar with WH, but I am very familiar with alligators.)

If it's more than 3 feet tall, the alligators probably won't go past it. If it's <4 feet, they can probably jump it, but they won't.